


My Little Ingénue

by RowArk



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ballet, Eating Disorders, F/F, Teenagers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-05
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-04-03 00:18:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 39,125
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4079389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RowArk/pseuds/RowArk
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Emma is a 17-year-old ballet dancer in Cora Mills' dance company, who is dancing the lead in Swan Lake opposite 18-year-old Regina's fiance, Daniel, all while harboring a secret crush on the brunette.</p><p>Regina has a reputation as a vindictive, evil bitch, but Emma’s the only one who can see her true nature, and the emotional abuse she suffers at the hands of her mother.</p><p>Emma’s a talented dancer with an overbearing stage mother, and as the production goes on, Emma begins to fall into some potentially dangerous self-destructive behaviour, and Regina is the only one who seems to notice or care.</p><p>The two strike up a friendship that stems from mutual understanding and begins to grow into more.</p><p>Slow-burn teenage Swan Queen</p><p>Trigger Warning for some disordered eating habits and mentions of food/calorie obsessions & weight obsessions, getting towards the middle of the story.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is 100% AU, which will be obvious fairly quickly lol. Mary Margaret is going to come across as a giant bitch in the beginning, but things between her and Emma will change eventually, before anyone decides to jump down my throat for that.

**Ingénue**

**n. a naïve, innocent or inexperienced girl or young woman**

* * *

_Ingénue._

That's what they called her.

She had once thought that it was a good thing. She thought it meant she was an up-and-coming ballerina, the one to keep your eye on. She was quickly learning, however, that they used it to mean stupid, silly little girl who thought her name, alone, was enough to get her on the stage, as if her hard work and dedication meant nothing.

It did mean nothing to them. She knew that much from the start.

But she wasn't using her name to her advantage. She had specifically  _changed_  her name from Nolan to Swan, because she was well aware that Emma Nolan wasn't getting any more lead roles than Mary Margaret Nolan's name had in her days. It didn't matter that  _now_  her mother was a prominent figure in the dance world, doing everything under the sun  _except_ dancing. It only mattered that when she was in her prime, fame didn't come.

Of course, her mother didn't think her name was the problem. Her mother thought she could have been a Prima Ballerina, if not for her rival, Kathryn Midas, sleeping her way to the top. Emma always just smiled and nodded, and didn't mention her mother's height (which was a disadvantage that Emma also suffered from) or her poor turn-out.

Emma had seen Kathryn dance. She was amazing. Midas was an appropriate moniker – a stage name, as far as Emma knew – since everything she touched turned to gold.

Emma's mother had won in one regard, at least. She had managed to win the affections of Kathryn's fiancé, David, away. Score one, Mary Margaret. Emma normally didn't approve of the backstabbing soap opera that lived behind the scenes in the dance world, but since Emma was the product of the union between David and Mary Margaret, she figured she had to let that one slide.

She was her mother's pride and joy, and she was expected to live out her mother's dream.

So here she was, at just barely seventeen, auditioning for the dual role of Odette and Odile in the Gold-Mills Dance Company's production of  _Swan Lake_ , though she had never done anything other than dance in the chorus, professionally.

She didn't particularly care about the role. She loved  _Swan Lake_  enough to name herself for it, but being a ballerina was her mother's dream. She wished she had known this year's production would be  _Swan Lake_ , however, before she chose a name that earned her way too many snickers from the impossibly tall and perfectly poised dancers waiting their turn to audition.

Emma didn't care about the role, but she did care about this audition, more than any she had ever done, for a very specific reason. Mrs. Cora Mills, the co-founder of this dance company, which Emma's parents had invested a huge chunk of money into to ensure their daughter received the best training available, had decided to let her daughter, Regina, cast the production this year.

The Mills family was essentially American royalty, and Emma had been infatuated with Regina since the first time she'd laid eyes on her. Regina wasn't a dancer – she didn't have the feet for it, much to her own mother's lament – but she was still there, all the time. Sometimes Emma wondered if the chance of seeing Regina was the only thing that made her want to show up for classes in the first place, though she wouldn't dare admit it to her mother, or anyone else.

There would be no audition for Prince Siegfried, as Regina had already cast her fiancé, Daniel Stabler, in the role. Daniel was among the most pretentious – and overrated, in Emma's opinion – dancers in the company, and she couldn't figure out what Regina saw in him.

Once, Emma had heard some of the male dancers, her friends, August and Graham, refer to Daniel as 'The Stable Boy', and she had laughed, blissfully unaware that Mrs. Mills was right behind her. She had made a huge production about it and threatened to throw all three of them out of the company. Emma's only saving grace was that her primary dance teacher, Neal, had made an appeal to his father, Mr. Gold, the co-owner of the company, to let the three stay.

Emma wasn't sure what the dynamic there was, Cora was definitely the louder and meaner of the two, but Gold seemed to hold the most power. Neal had only intended to fight for Emma's place, but he added August and Graham to the appeal, at her request. Neal had something of a crush on Emma, though he was at least ten years older than her, and Emma wasn't too proud to use that to her advantage, when she needed to.

Though nothing came from the debacle, Emma was sure that Cora had filled her daughter in, and likely embellished the details just a tad. And though Emma had never actually had a conversation with Regina, and she knew she probably hated her now.

But she wanted to dance for her anyway.

She truly didn't expect to accomplish anything. If she hadn't already known she didn't have a chance at getting this role, she knew now, looking at all the beautiful dancers around her. All she wanted was to be noticed, only by Regina, though she wasn't entirely sure why. She didn't expect them to become friends. She didn't know what she expected at all. All she knew was, for a brief period of time, she would have Regina's undivided attention, and perhaps that was enough, for now.

God, she was pathetic.

But she didn't care. Her entire world had been dance and dancers and Regina was the only person in this place who seemed to have a life  _outside_  this place, and she fascinated her to no end.

Emma raised her hand to her hair, checking her bun for the hundredth time, at least. Her hair always worried her. She knew her body looked good in her leotard, even if her legs and her torso weren't quite long enough. She couldn't control the length of her limbs, but she could control her hair, and it needed to be perfect. She needed to stop obsessing.

"Em, you ready?"

It was Neal, walking by the line, sweaty from teaching a master class. He was always so sweaty, it disgusted her. He could almost be cute, if he wasn't so much older. She looked at him like an older brother, though she was well aware that feeling was anything but mutual.

Emma shrugged. "Got this in the bag," she said, sarcastically, earning disapproving glares from the dancers in her immediate vicinity.

Neal leaned in closer to her ear. "I hear the young Miss Mills has a thing for blondes."

Emma gaped at him as he walked away. Why the hell would he say that? If she wasn't a ball of nerves before, she certainly was now.

Ruby Lucas, one of the impossibly tall brunettes with flawless technique, turned to Emma. "And your mother thinks it's Kathryn who slept her way to the top."

Emma blushed. She knew Ruby was joking – she was one of the few female dancers Emma got along with – but it was still embarrassing because it wasn't the first time rumours about Neal and Emma had spread around this building, and she was certain it wouldn't be the last.

"Swan!"

Emma heard her name being called out at the door. She was confused, because there were at least fifteen girls who were slotted to dance before her.

"Oh, so  _that's_  what Neal was doing, huh? Bumping you up on the list?"

Emma turned to face Lily Page. They had once been best friends, growing up together, but competitiveness had pushed them apart. Emma knew she lacked the look and height of a ballet dancer, but she was good, and she knew it. Everyone here knew it, and that's why they didn't write her off as quickly as they could.

"I didn't ask him to do that," Emma said, more to the girls ahead of her than to Lily, as she quickly made her way to the door.

"Why am I going now?" Emma asked, Sydney Glass, who was responsible for ushering the girls in and out of the auditions in a timely matter.

"She asked for you," he said, with a small shrug, motioning toward the table. Regina sat in the middle, with Daniel to one side and Cora to the other. Emma's heart fluttered a moment, thinking at he meant Regina had asked for her, but it didn't take long to realize that Cora was staring her down, and Regina looked completely uninterested.

Auditions always made Emma nervous, even though she had been on too many to count. Every single one felt like the first one, all over again. In her very first audition, she had fallen flat on her face and embarrassed the hell out of her mother. It didn't matter that she was only a child, her mother didn't accept that as an excuse.

So Emma did what she always did during auditions, and forced herself to go into autopilot. She tried to ignore Cora and Daniel as they looked her over in her black leotard and pink tights, and started scribbling something on the papers they each had in front of them. What were they even doing? Regina was supposed to be casting this.

Regina was still looking down, twirling her pen around in her fingers. It wasn't until Emma took her place in the middle of the floor that Regina finally looked up. Emma met her gaze, momentarily, before she started, though she wasn't really able to read what she was thinking.

She had gone through this routine ten thousand times, but she was sure none of those had been as flawless as the one she was giving now. Her turns were sharper, her leaps were higher and her turn out was more perfect than it had been in any of her practice runs with her mother or with Neal. Momentarily, she thought she might actually stand a chance.

Then it happened.

She choked on the quintuple pirouette.

She knew she should have stopped on four, she could feel herself falling out of it, and it would have been better to modify the move than fall on her hip, as she had just done.

_Shit!_

Despite her age and her relative inexperience, Emma was still a trained professional, and she knew better than to let her emotions show on her face. She certainly knew better than to stop before she was told, so she was up and continuing within seconds, even though she knew she had just blown it.

"That will do, Miss Swan," Cora said, curtly. Emma stopped immediately and watched Cora and Daniel flip over their pages, and prep for the next audition. Regina hadn't written anything on hers. She was still gazing at Emma, twirling her pen.

"No, I want to see her do the fouettes," Regina said, not taking her eyes off of Emma.

"Regina, it's a waste of time," Cora said, shaking her head.

"I get the final say, and I want to see her do it."

Emma hesitated for a moment, looking back at forth between mother and daughter, trying to decide what to do. She hoped Regina wanted to see her do the 32 fouettes because she was still considering her, not because she wanted to see if she would fall on her ass again.

"Go ahead, Miss Swan," Regina said, when Emma made no move to proceed. Considering Regina was just a year older, she sounded so much more seasoned and mature than Emma was, and that instruction was all she needed to snap into action.

Or maybe it was the 'Miss Swan'.

Either way, she nailed the fouettes and she knew it.

She looked only at Regina when she finished. She still hadn't written anything down, but she gave a small, almost unnoticeable nod, and Emma wasn't sure how to take that.

"Thank you, you may go," Regina said. Emma still couldn't read her face, and she wasn't sure what to make of that audition as she scurried back out into the hall.

She tried to hurry past the other girls waiting, but Ruby grabbed her arm. "How'd it go?"

Emma stopped, and turned back to her. "I choked."

She heard a sharp laugh from behind her, and didn't look to see who it came from. It didn't matter. She shook her head and wished Ruby good luck, before heading back down the hall.

It didn't matter what those girls thought. It didn't matter if they called her ingénue, or any other French word that they thought made them sound superior, when they barely had a better grasp on the actual meaning than she did. It didn't matter that she was short, or not as pretty or not as anything as any of these girls.

Regina had seen her dance, and when Cora had tried to send her out, Regina had asked to see her dance some more.

It didn't matter who got the role and did the 32 fouettes on stage, because Regina had asked to see her do them.

She shouldn't have been letting that get to her the way it was, but it had already gotten to her, and she didn't care.

She came to dance for Regina, and she did it. The rest was out of her hands.

* * *


	2. Chapter 2

"How in God's name did you choke on a pirouette?"

Emma rolled her eyes as she turned to face her mother, who was storming into the studio. It didn't matter to her that Emma had nailed ten thousand pirouettes in her lifetime. And it certainly didn't matter that she had spent the last hour and a half  _after_  her last class ended, in the studio alone, going over that section of the audition routine over and over and over, trying to pinpoint the exact place where she went wrong.

Nobody scrutinized Emma's imperfections as much as Emma did, herself, but her mother was definitely still in the running.

"It wasn't  _a_  pirouette, it was the quintuple," she pointed out, as if it made a difference.

"I see. Yet, when you're in here, screwing around with Ruby and Graham you can execute thirty in a row, flawlessly. But when it actually counts…."

"You don't know I didn't get the part. They haven't posted it yet," Emma said.

"You didn't get the part," Mary Margaret sighed. "Now, I have to go meet with Neal about your class schedule next month. Your father brought you dinner."

Emma peeked around her mother to the doorway, where her father stood, smiling. She couldn't help but grin when she spotted the brown paper bag in his hand. She half-walked, half-skipped to meet him.

"Please tell me this is a cheeseburger," Emma asked, grinning at her father as her mother walked past and headed back down the hall.

"The greasiest one I could find, princess," David replied, kissing her on the forehead as he handed her the bag. Between Kathryn, and then Mary Margaret, and now Emma, David had always had some tie to the dance world, though it thought it consumed their lives a little too much, and any moment he could spend with his daughter discussing anything but dance was bliss for him – even if it was just about cheeseburgers.

"How long are you going to keep torturing yourself?" he asked, as Emma reached into the bag. He knew his daughter well enough to know exactly what she was doing.

"I dunno… how many calories are in this burger? Times that by a million and that's how many turns I'll have to nail to get Mom off my back for eating it in the first place."

"I'm not talking about the burger."

"I know. You're talking about the audition, I know. I'm fine about it. Really," Emma insisted, smiling. "Thanks for the food."

Emma barely waited until David had left the studio to unwrap the burger. Food was strictly prohibited in any of the studios, but nearly everyone was gone and Emma didn't particularly care for the rules anyway.

She was so engrossed in the food that she didn't hear the door open again, moments later.

"This has got to be the first time I've ever seen a ballet dancer eat a cheeseburger.  _In_  the studio, no less."

Emma nearly choked on her food in her mouth as she spun around to face Regina, looking like a deer in the headlights.

"Well, I'm a growing girl," she said, with a mischievous smirk. What she lacked in poise and stature she certainly made up in sarcasm and deflecting. Truth be told, her mother had been watching her like a hawk in the weeks leading up to the audition, and Emma had actually slipped below the weight requirement for her height, and she felt the burger was well deserved – not that she ever thought she needed an excuse to eat, in the first place.

"Yes, well, I hope that's true, for your sake. You do know the minimum height for this company is 5'5?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.

Emma nodded, as she stood in all her 5'3 glory. She was well aware of the cut off, but her talent plus her parents'  _generous_  donations meant she always slipped through. Emma found it slightly ironic that Cora was the one to push the height requirement, considering Regina wouldn't have made the cut, either, if she had become a dancer.

Regina eyed her up and down, and suddenly Emma was extremely conscious of how she looked, standing there in her leotard, sweaty and holding a half-eaten burger in her hand. This is not how she imagined her first real conversation with Regina would be. She had no idea why it was even happening, currently.

"I haven't made a decision for Odette and Odile, yet, you know," Regina said. "My mother thinks you gave the absolute worst audition of the day."

"Oh," Emma said, looking down. She could feel her face getting red, but part of her still wanted to ask what Regina thought of her audition. Part of her really, really didn't want to know.

"You're not going to defend it?"

"I choked and I fell, what else can I say?" Emma shrugged.

"But the rest? You don't think it was good?" Regina pressed. Emma wasn't sure exactly what was going on here, but she was suddenly apprehensive of this entire conversation.

"I… it doesn't matter what I think. It only matters what you think," Emma replied.

"I think I should cast you, just to spite my mother," Regina said, with a sharp laugh.

Emma gaped at her for a moment, trying to figure out if she was being serious or not. Even if it was to spite Cora – for which Emma was totally on board, anyway – if Regina cast her, that would get Emma's own mother off her back.

"I would have never believed you grew up in this world, and with the finest training, if I hadn't witnessed it with my own eyes," Regina scoffed, and suddenly Emma was completely,  _painfully_  aware of her posture and facial expression at the moment. She tried to correct it quickly, but Regina was suddenly distracted by Daniel calling her name from somewhere in the distance, beyond the door of the studio.

Regina turned to leave, and before she exited the room, she cast Emma one last glance. "I hope you don't have an issue dancing with a stable boy," she said, and promptly slammed the door.

Emma was left dumbfounded, wondering what in the hell just happened.

"What was that about?" Neal came up behind her, apparently having come in the door on the opposite side, and making her jump. She spun around to face him and shook her head, before taking another bite of the burger she suddenly remembered was in her hand. She wished all these people would just leave her the hell alone to eat in peace.

"She wanted to talk about my audition," Emma said, through a mouthful of food.

"And I'm sure you won her over with your classiness," he laughed.

"Actually, she wants to cast me," Emma said, smirking.

"Really?"

"To spite her mother."

"Emma…" Neal sighed, "she's messing with you."

"Because of the stable boy thing? I didn't even say it," Emma insisted.

"Doesn't matter. She's just like her mother, Emma. I'd watch out if I were you," Neal said, offering her a sympathetic smile.

"What's she gonna do, destroy my career?" Emma said, with a small laugh. "I'd have to have one to start with."

"No, she's gonna destroy  _you_ , and you're gonna let her."

"Oh yeah? And why would I do that?"

"You don't think I've noticed that you worship the ground she walks on, Emma?"

Emma blushed a little, again. "You don't think everyone here has noticed you worship the ground  _I_  walk on?" she asked, attempting to deflect.

"Well, that's not exactly a secret. And you're harmless,  _ingénue._ She's a viper. Just watch your back."

"I'm not an ingénue," Emma said, as she took the last bite of her now cold – but still delicious – burger.

"Sure," Neal winked as he headed back out the other door. Emma shook her head and grabbed her bag, flicking off the lights before heading out into the hall herself. She shoved the wrapper from the burger into her dance bag as she walked. She might be a bit of a rebel, but she knew better than to leave evidence behind.

She wondered if Regina had already told her mother. That would be yet another strike against Emma, for this production, and the company in general.

She paused as she was walking past the closed door of one of the offices. She could hear Regina and Daniel inside, and it sounded like they were fighting. Emma's interest was piqued. She couldn't hear the words, but neither of them sounded thrilled with the other.

Emma knew it made her an ass that she was getting enjoyment from this, but she didn't care.

Moments later, the door flung open and Regina's red-rimmed eyes pierced into Emma's for a moment, before she stormed down the hall in the other direction.

Before today, Emma wasn't sure Regina even knew she existed. Now, she knew she couldn't fly under the radar anymore. Regina knew her face and her name and how she danced and apparently had been aware of who she was all along, given her comment about witnessing Emma growing up in this world. Regina also knew she ate burgers in the studio and made fun of her fiancé behind her back and Emma had just seen her cry and she was now convinced that she wasn't getting the role, period. Not even out of spite.

If Regina was just like Cora, Emma knew she would be lucky to even have a place in this company come tomorrow.

But still, Regina had seen her dance,  _and_  sought her out after the fact. Emma wanted to believe that Neal was wrong about her. She wanted to believe that Regina wasn't like Cora, and she wasn't just messing with her. She hoped Regina was actually just messing with her mother, and that she wanted Emma as her ally in that.

Maybe they could go from allies to friends to… well, Emma knew where she would like to go next, but the existence of Daniel kind of made that impossible.

Still, a girl could dream…

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: So I've had a few questions about why I changed Emma's height, and the reason is, I wanted something that would work against her and shake her confidence a bit, so I could make her be the character I wanted her to be. I wanted her to be a nearly flawless dancer, but not to have a huge ego to go along with it. Height seemed perfect, because it was something that Emma had no control over. Her doubting her self will be a factor in this story, and it will be something that helps her and Regina bond, down the road :)

Emma was back at the studio at the crack of dawn, Venti latté in hand – skinny, of course, since her mother was there when she purchased it – stretching in the hallway with Ruby.

"How you stretch and hold a coffee at the same time will never cease to amaze me," Ruby commented.

"I have the poise and grace of a ballerina," Emma laughed. "So how'd your audition go?"

Ruby shrugged. "It went, I guess. I thought I did fine, but none of them looked impressed."

"Did Regina write anything?"

"Like, make notes? Yeah, of course she did. They all did. Why?"

Emma stopped for a moment. "She didn't write anything when I was in there. Like, at all. Neal thinks she's messing with me, because of that whole Stable Boy thing."

Ruby rolled her eyes. "She's a bitch, Emma, like her mother, so I wouldn't be surprised. That's a little unprofessional though, isn't it? I wonder if that's why they called you in early."

"Mrs. Mills wanted me to leave when I fell, but Regina made me stay and do the 32 fouettes anyway. I mean, I already blew the audition, why did she want me to finish it?"

Ruby laughed, "yeah, she's  _definitely_ messing with you."

Emma sighed and walked over to toss her empty cup in the trash can, before coming back to stretch, properly. Maybe she really did deserve the title of ingénue, since everyone around her seemed to see what was going on here, except for her.

"So who do you think's gonna get it?" Ruby asked, once the silence became uncomfortable between them.

Emma shrugged. "Knowing my luck, probably Lily, just so she can rub it in my face, forever."

"She did look pretty pleased with herself after her audition," Ruby noted.

"When doesn't she?"

Ruby glanced up at the clock. "Gotta go, see you after?"

Emma nodded. "Yeah."

She watched as Ruby ran off down the hall to her first class of the day. Emma still had fifteen minutes, so she started to wander off down the hall, hoping to maybe run into August or Graham… anyone, really, besides Neal or Lily or….

Regina.

"Miss Swan, a word?"

Regina was standing in the doorway of one of the offices, looking impatient, as if she had been waiting all morning for Emma to happen to wander by.

Emma breathed an uneasy sigh as she followed Regina into the room, and watched her shut the door behind them.

Emma was used to walking around in tights and a leotard all day, every day, but, standing here in them with Regina, who was dressed way too maturely for her age in a charcoal pencil skirt, white blouse and black pumps, her hands on her hips, suddenly Emma felt more vulnerable and insecure than she ever had. She crossed her arms over her chest, and waited for Regina to speak.

"What did you hear last night? When you were eavesdropping on Daniel and myself?" Regina asked. There was no inflection in her voice, and Emma couldn't tell if she was only mildly interested or extremely pissed, or anywhere in between.

"Nothing, I swear. I was just walking by," Emma insisted. It was partly true – she really hadn't heard anything, specific.

"Good. And I trust you haven't told anyone?"

"No, of course not. There was nothing to tell, anyway."

Emma's heart was pounding so hard she was sure Regina could hear it. It was partly nerves because she had no idea what was happening, and partly excitement, as everything that  _could_  happen was racing through her mind.

No, not what could happen. What she  _wanted_ to happen. There was a difference.

"Good," Regina said again, as she turned and picked up a manila envelope from the desk behind her. "The cast list, for  _Swan Lake_ ," she said, holding it up. "It will be posted at noon."

"Okay," Emma nodded.

"You don't want to ask me to see it now?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.

Emma shifted nervously, trying to figure out exactly what game Regina was playing with her right now. She tried to play it nonchalant and she shrugged. "I don't need to see it. I already know."

"My my, aren't we cocky?" Regina said, tilting her head to one side as set the envelope back down and leaned back on the edge of the desk.

"It's only cocky if I think I got a part," Emma shrugged, again.

"So you don't think you were good enough, even for the corps?"

Emma fought the urge to shrug again. She didn't like where this line of questioning was going. She wasn't sure if Regina wanted her to admit she knew she was good, or to lie and say she thought she sucked. "I'm… I'm sorry about the stable boy thing. I wasn't the one who said it, you know."

Regina smirked. "Oh, I know," she said in a way that did nothing to put Emma's mind at ease over the whole thing. "Shouldn't you be in class?"

Emma gaped at her for a moment, and then turned to leave. She should be in class, but was Neal's class, and she knew he wouldn't say a word to her if she was late. More importantly, he wouldn't tell her mother or Mrs. Mills.

Emma played over their conversation in her mind as she walked to her class, trying to figure out what in the hell just happened. She now badly wanted to know what Regina and Daniel had been fighting about the night before, since it was enough to force Regina to purposely address Emma, yet again… but not enough for her to seek Emma out and make sure she hadn't heard anything.

She was mildly distracted throughout her morning classes. Neal definitely noticed, and pulled her aside just before noon, as the rest of the girls rushed to see who got what part in  _Swan Lake_.

"What is with you?"

"I just… didn't sleep well last night. The audition, ya know?" Emma lied. She hoped Neal would buy it, knowing her penchant for beating herself up over mistakes on a good day.

He saw right through her.

"It's something else. I saw you after your audition and you were fine about it. I talked to Cora and she said you executed everything perfectly, aside from that last pirouette. You weren't the only one who feel, you know."

"She said that? Regina told me she said I gave the worst audition of the day."

"And you believed that? Like I said…"

"She's messing with me," Emma nodded. She was finally starting to accept it.

"Don't take it too personally, Em. From what I hear, her mother reneged on her deal and didn't actually give Regina the final say on any of the casting. She thinks her daughter is an idiot. Regina's probably just trying to make herself feel better."

"At my expense?" Emma sighed.

"I told you, she's just like her mother."

"I apologized to her, about the whole Daniel thing."

"When?"

"This morning."

Neal laughed. "Well, that was stupid."

"How so?"

"Well, now she knows she's getting to you. She'll hold it over you, forever."

Emma sighed and headed back into the hallway. It was louder than normal out there, and Emma guessed it was safe to assume the cast list was absolutely up. She pushed through the frenzy, half-heartedly, not particularly interested to see if she made a small part or not.

She felt a sharp jab as Lily pushed past her. It was obvious from her face that she was crying, and Emma knew that meant she didn't get the lead. Emma was actually surprised, because she really did think Lily would cinch it.

"Hey, Odette," Ruby said, with a shit-eating grin as Emma approached the board.

Emma gaped for a moment. "Don't mess with me Ruby," she warned, trying to read her friend's face for any sign that she was joking.

"Go look for yourself."

Emma stepped up to the board and sure enough, plain as day, there it was:

**Odette/Odile –** **_Emma Swan_ **

Emma felt her stomach flip-flop in a mix of excitement and apprehension. She prayed that her first lead role didn't come up just because some snotty teenager wanted to watch her humiliate herself.

Not some snotty teenager. Regina.

Emma's eyes quickly scanned the rest of the list, and it didn't take long for her to realize why Lily was crying. Not only had she not been cast as the lead, she had been cast as Emma's understudy for the role.

Part of Emma wanted to revel in that for the rude comment Lily had made to her yesterday, but part of her still felt bad, since they had been good friends once.

"Your mother will be so proud," Ruby grinned.

"It's not  _my_  mother I'm worried about," Emma said, suddenly realizing that getting cast in this production meant dealing with Cora one-on-one every day, and she wasn't sure if she was ready for that. She wasn't sure if she was ready for any of this.

Another thought occurred to her then: Cora wouldn't be the only one she was seeing every day now. She would be dancing the lead alongside Daniel, which meant she would be seeing Regina every day, regardless of what – if any – responsibility Cora let her daughter take on in this production.

She hadn't thought this far ahead.

Going into the audition, all she wanted was for Regina to watch her dance.

Now Regina would be able to see her dance, every day.

She hoped to hell Regina wasn't just messing with her.


	4. Chapter 4

Emma's passion for dance tended to wax and wane from day to day, sometimes hour to hour. This morning, she had be distracted and messing up on the simplest of combinations. This afternoon, she was spot on. Amazing. Perfect.

Those were the words that Neal used.

Emma was used to being singled out in his classes, and she barely noticed the looks the other girls gave her anymore. Lily was notably absent from this class, and so the biting comments and hushed whispers were to a minimum, at least.

The entire building was abuzz with talk about  _Swan Lake_  all afternoon. Emma heard rumours of how Kathryn Midas would be lead choreographer and would also be working with Emma one on one throughout the production. And rumours of how her own mother, Mary Margaret, was headlining all media coverage and orchestrating all social events tied in with the production. The rest were just petty little tidbits about so-and-so and such-and-such that didn't faze Emma in the slightest.

Except for two.

There were two rumours that were bothering Emma, and she couldn't decide which was worse.

The first was that she had slept with Neal to secure her position. That one didn't come as a surprise and also made no sense, since Neal had nothing to do with casting. It bothered her, however, because it had people believing that she didn't get in on talent alone.

The second was far more troubling. It was a generally accepted truth among all of the dancers that Cora and Regina had disagreed greatly on who to cast as Odette. About half the rumours Emma heard said that Cora wanted her, and Regina had vehemently refused, and that's why Cora took casting privileges away from her.

The other half swore that Regina had wanted Emma, and Cora thought she was an idiot, and then cast her anyway to prove a point – that point being, that Emma would crack under the pressure and the role would go to Lily.

Emma wasn't sure which side she believed or even which side she  _wanted_  to believe. One side would mean Regina didn't think she was good enough. The other would mean she  _did_ , but Cora, who was actually an expert, disagreed  _and_  was going to let Emma humiliate herself anyway, just to teach her daughter a lesson.

Emma had to ask herself what kind of mother would go to those lengths to hurt her own daughter. The answer was absolutely Cora.

Mary Margaret was beaming when she came to pick Emma up that day. Normally, Emma walked home with Ruby, but news spreads fast, and Mary Margaret wanted to congratulate her daughter.

Congratulate meaning live vicariously through, in this case.

"Emma!" she smiled, wrapping an arm around her daughter, "I knew you would get it."

"Really?" Emma asked, rolling her eyes. "I distinctly remember you telling me I didn't get it."

Mary Margaret shook her head. "Enough. You're on your way to being a ballerina. I'll not have you turning into a diva now."

"Mom! One role is hardly on my way to being a ballerina," Emma insisted, as they headed toward the door.

"Closer than you were yesterday, my darling," Mary Margaret said Emma rolled her eyes again as she got into her mother's car.

"So you're doing all the social and media stuff for this production?" Emma asked, as her mother started to drive.

"Yes, darling. I'll make sure you're always in the spotlight. This role is going to propel your career."

"And is Kathryn really doing choreography?"

This time, Mary Margaret rolled her eyes. "Apparently."

"Can we get dinner out?" Emma asked, hoping to change the subject before her mother could start spouting off about Kathryn – again.

"No. I called to hire you a nutritionist today."

"What?! Why?" Emma asked, turning astonished eyes on her mother.

"Because your eating habits are atrocious. You need to learn to eat like a ballerina. You won't listen to me, maybe you'll listen to a professional."

"You won't be happy until I have a full-blown eating disorder like half the girls at that company!" Emma cried, crossing her arms in front of her and turning her head to look out the window.

"Emma, enough," Mary Margaret scoffed, but didn't say anymore.

After a light dinner of steamed chicken breast and salad, Emma changed into her running clothes to meet Ruby for a jog. Her mother still believed the old school notion that running was bad for dancers, but Emma adhered to the policy that it was good for her stamina. It had taken getting Neal to back her up for Mary Margaret to actually allow her to go out for a run, forty –five minutes tops, three times a week.

Emma jogged the two minutes to Ruby's house, where she found her waiting on the grass.

"Run with me to your grandma's diner. I'm  _starving!"_ , Emma said, before taking off again. Ruby laughed and quickly caught up.

"Your mother is going to kill you," Ruby pointed out.

"I am literally too hungry to care," Emma laughed. "Three ounces of steamed chicken breast and romaine lettuce with lemon juice squeezed on top. How is that adequate food for someone who dances eight hours a day and then goes jogging?"

"It's not," Ruby agreed. Running to her grandmother's dinner only took about two minutes, and then they headed inside. Ruby led Emma into the back and started making her a milkshake, and asked one of the cooks to put on grilled cheese and onion rings.

"How are you going to keep this up when you start working on  _Swan Lake_?" Ruby asked.

"I have no idea," Emma admitted, through slurps on her milkshake. "My mother hired a nutritionist… my only hope is that she tells my mother she's actually starving me!"

Ruby laughed, and then looked at Emma with a more serious face. "So, have you heard the rumours?"

"What, that I'm sleeping with Neal? That's hardly news, is it? I sure do get around, for a virgin," Emma said, rolling her eyes.

"No, not that. The one about Regina and Daniel," Ruby laughed.

"What one about Regina and Daniel?" Emma asked, suddenly intrigued.

"Apparently they had a huge blow up the other night. Rumour is they're breaking up."

Emma's heart skipped a beat. "Who said that?"

"I heard it from Graham. He heard it from Astrid. I don't know where she heard it."

Emma suddenly felt sick. She wondered who else had heard them fighting that night. She prayed that Regina didn't think she had said anything.

"Emma? What is it? You look like you just saw a ghost or something?"

"I'm fine, just… I dunno, tired or whatever. It's been a crazy day."

"Yeah, no shit," Ruby laughed.

Emma downed her grilled cheese and onion rings in record time, and the pair headed back home. Emma made it in the door with moments to spare before her ridiculous curfew, and ran upstairs to her room, before her mother could stop her and tell her some other absurd thing she had done or person she had hired to help Emma live out her dream.

Emma sighed and flopped herself on her bed, trying to reconcile everything that had happened in the past two days. Yesterday, Regina was this elusive dark hair goddess that Emma was crushing on from afar, but was completely spoken for. Now, she was this completely different anomaly – someone who may or may not have specifically requested for Emma to be in this show, and someone who may or may not still be spoken for.

Emma had to laugh at herself, for thinking she stood a chance, even if Regina was about to be single again. Why would she think this girl had any interest in her?

But, was it really so preposterous of a thought?

She rolled over, and finally noticed the blinking light on her iPhone, that she had left behind during her run. She sighed, knowing that since she was with Ruby, the message was likely from Neal.

She swiped the screen and saw that it was actually a text message from an unknown number. She opened the message.

_Good evening Miss Swan. This is Regina Mills. Please meet me in Studio C at 6:45 tomorrow morning._

Emma's heart skipped a beat. Momentarily, she thought about asking where she got her number, but realized that all the dancers' numbers, including cell phones, were on file in the main office. She then tried to think of something witty to say, but decided against it, since she had no idea what this meeting was for.

She simply texted back,  _Okay._

She clicked to add the number to her contacts, and put a little heart emoji next to Regina's name.

Moments later, her phone vibrated.

_That hardly warranted a response._

Emma blinked down at the message for a moment. It seemed unnecessarily rude. She was pretty sure acknowledging that you got a message was common courtesy.

She could feel the anxiety starting to rise. What if Regina thought she did open her mouth and start the rumour that she and Daniel were breaking up?

She fidgeted nervously with her phone, debating whether she should text back and say she didn't open her mouth. She decided against it, however. If Regina had thought her first text didn't warrant a response, then surely the text pointing out that fact absolutely didn't warrant a response.

Emma's phone vibrated in her hand again. It was Regina, again.

_Sorry. That wasn't meant for you. See you tomorrow. Please don't be late._

Emma breathed a sigh of relief, but then she wondered who Regina's rude message was actually intended for. Was she fighting with Daniel via text message?

Or, did she perhaps want Emma to  _think_ she was?

Emma sighed. She was letting everyone get to her. She didn't want to believe Regina was really playing games with her. It was making her second guess everything, and she didn't like it.

_Absolutely. See you tomorrow._

Emma hesitated a moment, before hitting send. The moment she did, she regretted it. Maybe  _this_  message hadn't warranted a response.

Her phone vibrated again.

_Good night, Miss Swan._

As much as she had regretted her choice in stage name when the company announced  _Swan Lake_  as this year's production, she loved hearing Regina say it. Oddly enough, she also liked seeing her type it.

"Dear God, Emma, get it together," she said out loud as she put her phone down and headed to shower.

She knew she should be nervous about whatever Regina wanted to discuss tomorrow morning, but she could help but grin.

Yesterday, she wasn't sure Regina even knew who she was.

Today, she had her phone number.

She could be walking right into a trap, and she didn't even care.

She thought about what Neal had said, that Regina would destroy her, and she would let her do it. She now was suddenly very aware of how right he was.

And still, she didn't care.


	5. Chapter 5

Emma made it to Studio C by 6:30am. She had grey sweats over her black leotard and her feet were bare – save for the bandages and blisters that forever adorned her toes and heels – and her long blond hair was in a ponytail. She was more concerned with not making Regina wait than she was about her appearance. She could fix her hair later.

Emma stood and waited, until the door swung open and precisely 6:45am.

"Good morning, Miss Swan. As I'm sure you are aware, there are a number of rumours circulating around this building," Regina said as she walked into the studio, high heels clicking on the hard floor. Shoes were strictly prohibited on the dance floor, but after Regina had caught her eating a burger in a studio two nights ago, Emma wasn't about to call her out. Plus, she kind of liked the way Regina's legs looked in heels.

_Focus, Emma._

"Yeah, well, I'm used to being the center of gossip around here," Emma shrugged, hoping to steer the conversation away from the rumour about Regina and Daniel, where she was sure it was headed, eventually. "And since, at most, only one of those rumours is true, I'm not really worried."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Are you referring to the one about Neal, then? Because I can assure you that my mother and I were most certainly on the same page about casting you."

"Really?" Emma said, her naivety betraying her as she forgot to play it cool and realized she was coming off sounding like an adolescent. She couldn't help it. Regina always left her feeling flustered. "You both wanted to cast me? After I screwed up my audition?"

"Oh, no. Neither of us wanted to cast you," Regina corrected.

"Then why did you?"

"Well, it wasn't that your audition was bad, save for the quadruple pirouette, obviously. But it certainly wasn't the best, either. After much deliberation, we decided you were best for the role, for a few reasons," Regina shrugged, as if that answered anything, at all. "However, I didn't call you hear to address the rumours about you. I honestly couldn't care less what people are saying about you."

"You're certainly not one for subtlety, are you?" Emma asked.

"I'm not one for wasting time beating around the bush. Now tell me, Miss Swan, have you heard rumours about Daniel and myself?"

Emma stood there, mouth slightly gaping, unsure of how to respond. She wasn't sure if she was about to walk into a trap, so she chose to say nothing and see where Regina was going with this.

"I assume by that dumbfounded expression that you have," Regina continued.

"I didn't say anything. To anyone. About that other night," Emma said.

"What you heard the other night had nothing to do with anything," Regina said, waving her hand dismissively. "Well, it does, but, it doesn't. And that's not why I wanted to speak to you."

"So, why did you then?"

Regina shifted nervously. Emma had never seen her look anything short of completely confident and self-assured, but right now, despite the black slacks and the form fitting red blouse that made her look much more mature than her years, her face looked like the teenager she actually was. It was both reassuring and unnerving to Emma, at the same time.

"What I'm about to say doesn't leave this room, understood?"

Emma nodded, perhaps a little too eagerly, but she was fairly sure Regina was about to let her in on some big secret and she was pretty sure she wanted to be a part of that, whatever it was.

"The rumour about Daniel and me breaking up is true," Regina started. Emma tried not to let the shock show on her face, especially since Regina said it so flatly, like she was just talking about the weather.

"I'm so sorry, Regina," Emma stammered, not sure how she was expected to respond in this situation. She felt herself start to flush as she realized she had addressed her as Regina, when Regina referred to her exclusively as 'Miss Swan'. She wondered if she should have said 'Miss Mills', but she decided that might have sounded awkward, like she was addressing a teacher.

"Yes, well, I appreciate your sympathy, but it's unnecessary," Regina said, in a dismissive tone. "There's going to be a lot of media and press surrounding this production, and we've decided to keep this to ourselves until it's over. I trust I can count on your discretion?"

"Yes, of course, Regina," Emma promised.

"Good. My mother will make sure your mother is aware, as she's handling media relations. Here's the thing, though... rumours are bound to spread about you and Daniel. It's inevitable. For the duration of the production, I'd like you to avoid being seen with him outside of the studio, for any reason," Regina instructed.

"Yeah, sure, that's no problem," Emma said. It really wasn't. She couldn't imagine herself wanting to spend time with Daniel anyway.

"Good. And in the studio, I don't want you alone with him, ever, understand?"

"Yeah, got it," Emma replied, starting to feel her annoyance grow. She hoped Regina didn't think she had any interest in Daniel, at all. She wondered if this might be an appropriate time to drop the L-word, but ultimately decided against it. Ruby was the only one who knew, and though she thought Neal might suspect it, despite all the flirting, she wasn't ready to come out just yet. Especially not to a girl she liked who may or may not being toying with her, for some reason.

"Good," Regina repeated. "I appreciate you meeting with me."

"Yeah," Emma said, and hesitated a moment before saying anything else. She shifted from one foot to the other, and for her part, Regina seemed to notice.

"Is there something else, Miss Swan?" she asked.

"You can call me Emma, you know."

Regina rolled her eyes. "Is there something else,  _Emma_?"

Emma tried not to let the condescending tone get to her as she continued. "Yeah, um… will you ever tell me why you actually cast me?"

Regina smirked. "Because Daniel doesn't like blondes," she replied, before turning on her heel and exiting the studio without another word. Emma stood there, staring blankly after her, trying to decide whether or not that could actually be true.

They wouldn't just cast her so Daniel wouldn't be tempted to put the moves on his co-star, would they?

If that were the case, maybe Regina would have been interested to know the actual reason why Emma so quickly agreed to stay away from Daniel.

"Hey, how'd it go?" Ruby asked, as she pushed the door to the studio open. Emma jumped a bit, but was quickly relieved it was Ruby coming in, and not Neal, or worse, her mother.

"I, uh… I don't really know. I get so flustered around her, you know? I know you and Neal think she's messing with me, but…" Emma trailed off, looking to her friend for some sort of definitive answer.

"I thought you could tell when anyone was lying?" Ruby said, as she reached into her dance bag for a hair brush and bobby pins. Emma sat down and Ruby sat behind her, and worked on pulling her long hair up into a tight bun to get ready for the day.

"I thought I could but I'm learning that my superpower gets a little screwy when my feelings get in the way," Emma admitted.

"You're not saying you have feelings for Regina?" Ruby gasped.

"I don't know, I mean… I barely know her. And she's engaged, to a man, so… but I think I like her," Emma confessed.

Ruby laughed. "Neal will be crushed!"

Emma had to giggle, too. "Imagine how crushed _everyone_ will be. This imaginary on-going love affair will crash and burn," she said, with a shrug. "I know they were all waiting with bated breath for their wedding invitations in the mail."

"Well, from what I've been hearing this morning, your wedding to Neal is more likely than Regina's wedding to Daniel," Ruby said.

"Rubes, seriously… you can't believe anything you hear around here. It's all bullshit," Emma insisted.

"Yeah, I know," Ruby agreed. "But still, it would do her ego some good to get knocked down a peg or two. Like her if you want, but Em, you're nuts. She's pure evil."

"She's not!" Emma cried, turning to swat at Ruby's arm. "We had a perfectly civil conversation this morning."

"Yeah, you have yet to mention what that was all about," Ruby reminded her.

"My lips are sealed," Emma said, miming an invisible key against her lips.

"But I'm your best friend!" Ruby whined.

"We gotta go," Emma said, pointing at the clock.

"Oh, come on!" Ruby cried, as she got up to follow Emma, who was already up and heading toward the door. "Since when have you ever cared about being late?"

"Since I started my transition from ingénue to Prima Ballerina," Emma said, lifting her head up haughtily, though she was still grinning like an idiot.

"Whatever, you little diva," Ruby laughed. "You let this go to your head and I'll kill you."

"Duly noted," Emma nodded, as she pushed open the door for her first class of the morning. "I'll call you after rehearsal tonight."

"You better," Ruby said, "I want all the juicy details!"

Emma shook her head as she stepped into Neal's class. Tonight would be the first meeting with the choreographers and costume designers for  _Swan Lake_. She wasn't sure if Regina would be there, but she knew she would still be seeing her six times a week, at least, for the duration of the production.

She would be seeing her every day, and Regina was newly single.

She wasn't sure if that could possibly mean anything at all… but she wasn't so sure it meant nothing, either.

Either way, she stood a better chance today than she did yesterday, and she was determined to make the most of it, even if she made an ass of herself in front of everyone. Either way, they were going to talk about her.

What was one more rumour to her anyway?


	6. Chapter 6

Amazingly, Emma managed not to be late for her first meeting with the choreographers and costume designers. She'd had to sprint from her last class to the main studio, but she made it, and she was barely even out of breath. She guessed running had been a good idea, after all.

Lily was already there, glaring at her, as she got her measurements done. Her dark eyes were like daggers, but Emma didn't care. They had barely spoken to each other since they were fourteen and Emma was beyond the false hope that their relationship could be repaired.

The girls had practically grown up together. Lily had lived three doors down, and when Mary Margaret enrolled Emma in her first dance class, Lily had begged her parents to do the same. Lily was a natural, and it irked Mary Margaret to no end that the child would have never even entered the dance world if it weren't for Emma.

And here she was, Emma's biggest competition.

Lily's family had moved when she was twelve, only a few blocks over, but it meant that Emma couldn't run over to her house every day anymore. Mary Margaret kept her on a short leash, and she wasn't allowed off the street without a chaperone. That was the first nail in the coffin of their friendship.

The second came when they were both thirteen. Lily started hanging out with some of the older girls, and they managed to convince Emma to skip class, for the first time ever. They spent the afternoon playing hooky at the park, and Lily introduced Emma to her first – and last – cigarette. Emma was sick for three days afterwards, and Mary Margaret had called Lily's parents after Emma finally confessed to her transgression. Mary Margaret banned Emma from having any contact with Lily outside of the studio. That was nail number two.

The third came the following year, when Emma beat out Lily for a role in the studio's annual recital. They were both fourteen, and Lily started the very first rumour about Emma and Neal. That rumour was just a handjob in his office the night after auditions, but throughout the years, handjobs turned to blowjobs which eventually turned into the torrid kinky love affair that most of the studio believed they were having.

There was nothing Emma could do to stop it, once it started. The more she denied it, the more people believed it was true. In the end, her mother had advised her to let her dancing speak for itself, and everyone else be damned, but life wasn't easy when day in and day out, the only people who spoke to her at the studio were Ruby and Neal.

And now, Regina.

"Do you think she looks like me?"

Emma nearly jumped out of her skin as Regina spoke. She hadn't even heard her approach, but now she was standing beside Emma, staring at Lily, who was now staring at the wall in front of her, as the seamstress continued to take her measurements.

"Lily?" Emma asked, as if it weren't obvious who she was talking about.

"Yes, Lily. My mother thinks she looks like me, but I don't see it," Regina said, still not actually turning to look at Emma.

"I mean, she has your hair colour and eye colour, but I think that's as far as it goes," Emma shrugged. As far as Emma was concerned, Regina was an impeccable goddess, and Lily was a bitch. She didn't want to see resemblance there.

"I think my mother imagines that I'm her when she watches her dance," Regina continued. "You know, so she can pretend I'm not an utter disappointment."

Emma blinked a few times, unsure if she heard that right, but Regina just continued to stare at Lily. "Why are you telling me this?" Emma asked, finally.

Regina shrugged. "Just making small talk."

"That's what you consider small talk?"

"What else would you like to talk about? Sports? The weather? The boys in your dance class that never look at you? The boys in your dance class that  _always_  look at you?"

Emma swallowed roughly. She could feel her face flushing as Regina finally turned to look at her, apparently gauging her reaction. She wanted her to react. Emma was well aware now. It was a game.

"I thought maybe we could bond over our shit mothers, together. Perhaps not."

"I don't have a 'shit mother'," Emma said, defensively.

"You don't think so?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow.

And now it was Emma who trained her eyes on Lily, wanting an end to whatever little game this was. "You're prettier than her," she said, finally.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Regina smile. "I know," she agreed.

"Emma Swan!" the seamstress called out, as Lily walked away – not before casting a glare in Emma's direction. Emma scurried over to take Lily's place to be measured, and she was well aware that Regina's eyes didn't leave her the entire time.

_What is she trying to do to me?_

"Emma, you're not eating enough," the seamstress, Ana, commented, drawing Emma's thoughts away from Regina and back to herself.

"I eat fine," Emma lied. She wasn't about to sell her mother out on her insanely strict diet regime at this point. She would just get her father to sneak her more greasy cheeseburgers and all would be well.

"You've grown an inch, and lost two around your waist, since the last time I measured you," Ana continued.

"I grew?" Emma asked, in disbelief. She hadn't realized she'd gotten taller. Maybe the constant coffee she inhaled like oxygen wasn't stunting her growth, after all.

"Yes, but now you are way under the weight requirement. Eat more, understood?" Ana said, a strict look in her eye.

"You got it, boss," Emma said, giving a mock salute. Ana just shook her head and ushered her off to meet with the choreographers.

Emma looked back to try to catch Regina's eye again, but she had vacated her spot. Maybe it was for the best. Emma couldn't concentrate when she was around, anyway.

"You look so much like your mother," Kathryn Midas commented, as Emma stepped into the side studio to meet with her. She wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a compliment, given Kathryn's history with her mother, but the woman was smiling, so Emma hoped for the best.

"Uh, thanks," Emma said, offering a small smile in return.

"With all your father's charm, I see?" Kathryn continued. Emma bit her lip, not sure how to respond. Kathryn noticed. "Emma, it's fine. Your father and I are ancient history, trust me."

"No offense, but I don't know who to trust around here," Emma admitted, and immediately regretted it.

But Kathryn continued to smile. "Well, considering who runs this company, I think that's wise."

Emma maintained her tight smile, but didn't say anything. Kathryn was prominent enough and her name pulled enough weight that she could say whatever she wanted without fear of retribution. Emma didn't have the same luxury.

"So, Emma, I'll be working with you one-on-one, as well as with Lily, for your role. Frederick will be working with Daniel," Kathryn explained. Frederick was Kathryn's on-again off-again… well, husband. She was married first to dance, and second to Frederick. And then divorced from Frederick. And then remarried, to Frederick again. Emma wasn't sure if they were together or not at this point, but she did wonder if they gave out frequent visitors cards at city hall.

_Four marriages, get your fifth one FREE!_

Emma smirked to herself.

"Something funny?" Kathryn asked.

"Nope," Emma said, shaking her head.

"Alright," Kathryn said, giving Emma an odd look. She went on to explain the rehearsal schedule and give Emma copies of the music and everything else she would need to prep for the performance, talking on and on about this and that… everything she thought might be even remotely important.

"I'm really looking forward to working with you, Emma," Kathryn said, finally.

"Me too," Emma grinned, putting her hand out to shake Kathryn's, before gathering her things up in her arms to deposit in her dance bag.

The studio had mostly cleared out by the time Emma was done with Kathryn. She knew the woman had rambled, but she'd had no idea how long she'd actually been in there. Emma spotted Daniel right away, however, near the corner where she had dropped her bag on the way in. Regina was nowhere in sight. Emma guessed getting her dance bag from beside Daniel wasn't going to break her little agreement with Regina.

She scurried over and dropped everything quickly, and rather ungracefully, in to her bag, before slinging it over her shoulder.

"Hey, ingénue," Daniel said, seeming to just notice her for the first time. "I don't think we've been formally introduced."

Emma resisted the urge to call him Stable Boy in her return greeting. "I have a name, you know," she said, through gritted teeth, "and it's not ingénue."

"I know,  _Emma_ ," Daniel said, extending his hand. Emma glanced around nervously. "I don't bite," Daniel said, pushing his hand closer to Emma.

Reluctantly, Emma shook his hand, just in time to hear an all-too-familiar sound of heels clicking on hard floor. She withdrew her hand quickly, spinning around, expecting to see Regina, fuming.

But it wasn't Regina. It was worse. It was Cora.

"Ah, I see you two are getting acquainted," Cora commented as she walked up with a big – and in Emma's opinion, fake-looking – grin plastered on her face.

"Mrs. Mills," Daniel acknowledged her, with a slight tip of his head. Emma thought that seemed awfully formal for someone who was nearly going to be her son-in-law.

"Miss Swan," Cora said, turning to Emma without returning Daniel's greeting. "I trust everything went well with Kathryn."

"Yes," Emma nodded, nervously, "she gave me all my schedules and stuff."

"Schedules and stuff," Cora repeated, in an unmistakably mocking tone. Emma felt her face flush. Why had her mother not invested in some sort of etiquette lessons for her, or something? She had done everything else under the sun to push her career forward, except teach her how to interact with other humans, apparently.

"Yeah, I mean, yes," Emma stammered.

"Mother!"

Emma was happily cut off by Regina walking in to the room, calling her mother's attention away to look at something. Emma deliberately took several steps away from Daniel, making sure the distance between them was obvious, before she set about taking off her dance shoes in favour of flip flops for the walk home. Her mother hated her in flip flops, but she hadn't inspected her dance bag in several months.

"Honestly, Regina!" Emma heard Cora's voice, louder than necessary since Regina was standing a foot away from her, and rife with annoyance. "I swear you do these things to me on purpose!"

Emma wasn't sure what Cora thought Regina had done, but Regina's face looked panicked. Emma had never seen her like that, but then again, she never really witnessed any exchanges between the two, other than in the recent audition.

"Give it to me," Cora said, grabbing a paper out of Regina's hand after Regina had offered up some explanation for something that Emma couldn't hear. Cora stormed off in the other direction, and momentarily, Emma's eyes met Regina's, before Regina turned to follow her mother.

 _I thought maybe we could bond over our shit mothers_. Regina's words resonated in Emma's skull. Maybe it hadn't been a game. Maybe Regina really did want to bond with her?

Emma shook her head. It was ridiculous. There was no way this girl wanted to become friends with her. She didn't have that kind of luck.

Emma heard her phone go off as she started her walk home. She fished it out of her dance bag to find a text from Ruby.

_At the diner. Time to eat?_

Emma grinned. Her mother had no idea what time she was supposed to be done rehearsal. She definitely had time to eat.

Ruby had a grilled cheese and onion rings waiting for Emma when she arrived.

"Oh my God, I love you!" Emma declared, as she started inhaling onion rings.

"Holy crap, slow down!" Ruby laughed.

"It's fine. Ana says I should eat more. I'm getting too skinny," Emma shrugged.

"Oh, well, in that case, no need to taste 'em, right?" Ruby asked, shaking her head. "How'd it go?"

"Ugh, weird," Emma admitted.

"Weird how?"

"Kathryn, Regina, Daniel, Cora, Lily… like, how could it not be weird?"

Ruby nodded, as if that was all the answer she required. Maybe right now, it was.

"Promise me you'll talk to me if it gets too weird," Ruby said, once Emma was done the onion rings. Emma was pretty sure she was specifically referring to Emma getting in over her head with Regina.

"Will do," Emma agreed, as she bit into her grilled cheese. "If you promise me they'll be food waiting for me after rehearsal every night."

"How much are you gonna pay for?" Ruby teased.

"I pay you in my eternal friendship," Emma said, holding her hand over her heart. "Isn't that enough?"

"I suppose that will have to do for now, at least until you're raking in the big bucks as a Prima Ballerina!"

"Yeah, sure," Emma laughed, shaking her head.

At least she had Ruby to keep her sane in all of this, because lord knows she would need it now that Regina seemed to have her in her crosshairs, for reasons Emma couldn't even begin to fathom.

* * *


	7. Chapter 7

It was well after midnight when Emma heard her phone go off. She scrambled to grab it from inside her dance bag. She was supposed to turn in off by 10:00pm sharp, but since the only people who ever texted her were Ruby and Neal and they were both well aware of Mary Margaret's rule, she never needed to because they never tried to contact her that late.

She wondered what the hell was going on, and hoped that her mother was asleep, lest she lose cell phone privileges all together.

She grabbed the phone and ducked under the covers, paranoid that the dim glow from the screen would cast out under the door and she would be busted. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the name on the screen. It was a text from Regina.

_Are you awake?_

Emma could feel her heart beating out of her chest. Of course she was awake. She had yet to sleep, as she replayed her odd conversation with Regina earlier that day over and over in her brain, trying to memorize every nuance and every inflection of Regina's voice. She also ran through about a million possible scenarios of what transgressed between Regina and her mother after she left, and every one of those possible scenarios resulted in a fantasy of Regina calling her up and saying she needed to talk and Emma would be there for her, to comfort her, and bond with her over their shit mothers. Never in a million years did she think it would actually  _happen._

 _Yes._ Emma responded, simply.

_Come outside._

The text was almost immediate, and Emma realized Regina must have been staring at her phone, waiting for Emma to respond. Emma nearly fell on her face tripping over bed sheets to make it to the window to look out. Sure enough, Regina's Mercedes sat idling on the street in front of Emma's house.

"What the hell?" Emma whispered to herself. As if she heard it, Regina's head snapped up to look at Emma's window. Emma ducked, momentarily, before realizing it was dark in her room and there was no way Regina could see in.

Emma didn't waste a moment thinking of her mother's reaction if she caught her sneaking out. She couldn't imagine saying no to Regina, so she tucked her phone into the pocket of her black draw string sweat pants, and made her way across the floor, opening the door soundlessly.

In her haste, she didn't even bother to text Regina back, and once she was out, tiptoeing down the hall, she realized it was too late. There was no time to hesitate: it was go now or chicken out.

The door to her parents' room was open, and Emma peeked quickly as she walked by. Both dead to the world.  _Thank God._ She made her way down the stairs and through the large front foyer, and out the front door, soundlessly. The night air was brisk, and he wondered if she should have grabbed a sweater, but it was far too late for that. She would have to suffer in her white tank top and black sports bra.  _Oh well._

She heard the distinct sound of Regina's car doors unlocking as she approached the car, and since Regina seemed to be making no attempt to open her window or get out, Emma assumed she was expected to get in. She rounded the front of the car quickly, and slipped into the passenger side door.

No sooner did she have the door shut, did Regina slam the car into drive and take off, without a single word. Emma gaped at her, confused. Regina's eyes were red again, and her face was hard – determined. Emma wished she knew enough about her to guess if this was about Daniel or Cora or something else entirely, but she was clueless. She was going to have to ask.

"Regina, what – uh… what?" Emma stammered.

The corner of Regina's mouth turned up in a visible smirk, but she didn't take her eyes off the road. "Always so eloquent, aren't we, Miss Swan?"

"Sorry," Emma said, her cheeks burning.

Regina shrugged. "No need to apologize to me. I should be sorry. I didn't call you out to tease you," Regina assured her.

"So, then why did you?"

"I need someone to talk to and I don't have any friends," Regina said, simply.

Emma nodded, and looked back out to the road. "Where are we going?"

"A place I like to go to think," Regina replied.

Emma didn't ask her to elaborate, as she was sure she would know where soon enough. She could feel the palpitations in her chest, knowing Regina was about to share something personal with her, even if it was only a place she liked to go to. She was going to get a small piece of Regina – another piece of the puzzle of who this girl was, and maybe how Emma could use it to figure out how  _she_ might fit into the picture.

But she didn't want to get ahead of herself.

After a few minutes of silence, Regina pulled up in front of the old abandoned clocked tower. The library below had been boarded up years ago, and the clock never moved. It was perpetually stuck at 8:15.

Emma glanced around as she and Regina got out of the car. There was nothing else around, but Emma was sure Regina didn't plan on breaking into the old library… did she?

"Where are we going?" Emma asked, again, as she followed Regina around the back of the building. She noticed for the first time what Regina was wearing: black pants and a red camisole under a thin black sweater than hung a little off one shoulder.

"Clock tower," Regina said.

"We're breaking in?" Emma was suddenly panicked. What if this was a game? What if this was some sort of set-up?

"They didn't lock the back door when they boarded this place up. I discovered it years ago, and they've never locked it," Regina explained, as she pushed the door open. "I don't even know if anyone knows. I've never seen anyone else come in here. It's kind of like my little sanctuary."

Emma breathed deep as she followed Regina inside, and they began their ascent up the stairs. She tried to ignore the spiders and cobwebs that Regina didn't even seem to notice, as she lit the way with the flashlight on her cellphone.

The top level was clean – almost too clean – like Regina had cleared all the dust and cobwebs from her sanctuary. Emma guessed that must have been what she had done. She watched as Regina sat down on the floor, and then followed suit, still a little on edge, wondering what was about to happen between them.

"Earlier today, I got the deposit back from the hall that Daniel and I were supposed to have our reception in," Regina said. There was no inflection in her voice, like she had trained herself not to let on that she even cared, but the redness that was still present in her eyes betrayed her emotions. "And I just… it made it feel real. That Daniel and I are over, I mean."

"Why would you want to get married at eighteen anyway?" Emma blurted out. Inwardly, she was instantly kicking herself, wishing she had said something comforting or friendly, or at least less accusatory.

Regina blinked at her a few times, like she was processing the question in her mind, like no one had ever asked. Maybe she had never questioned it herself? "I… I just wanted to feel like I belonged to something," she said, finally.

Emma scrunched up her nose in confusion. "More like to someone," she said.

Regina shook her head. "You don't know what it's like to live in a world you don't belong in. You live and breathe dance, but you're a dancer. I live and breathe the dance world, but I don't belong there, so I thought… maybe if I married a dancer, then I would? It sounds stupid when I say it out loud."

"No, it doesn't," Emma replied. "And I might be a dancer, but I don't belong to that world any more than you do."

"What do you mean?" Regina asked. This time, it was her face that showed confusion.

"Dance is just what I do, it's not who I am," Emma shrugged.

"But you're good," Regina pointed out.

"You think I'm good?"

Regina shook her head in disbelief. "I don't understand how you are so insecure. You just got the lead in  _Swan Lake_  out of seventy-six girls who auditioned. You fell, and you still got it. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"

Emma gaped at her. How could she wonder why Emma was insecure, when she herself had been taunting her for days about her audition and the role. What did she expect?

"You said I gave the worst audition of the day," Emma reminded her.

Regina smiled, a little, at the memory, which confused Emma even more. "I just wanted to see if you would defend yourself," she shrugged.

"Why won't you tell me why you actually cast me?" Emma asked. She was beyond desperate to know, and she didn't understand why it had to be such a game.

"Why do you need to know so badly?" Regina asked, her eyes boring into Emma's.

"Everyone thinks you're just messing with me," Emma confessed.

"Well,  _I_  think everyone should keep their  _fucking_  opinions to themselves," Regina said, emphasizing the one word that Emma would have never expected to leave that perfect mouth. Emma just gaped, and watched as Regina tried to regain her composure. Emma guessed her dislike for other people's opinions went much deeper than what they thought of her games with Emma… if they were games.

"So, you're not, then?" Emma asked, trying to clarify.

"Not intentionally… well, maybe a bit intentionally," Regina admitted. "Does not play well with others."

"What?"

"That's what it said on my report card in first grade, before my mom pulled me out to have me homeschooled by a tutor. I guess I never learned." Regina was grinning now, and Emma couldn't help but smile back.

"So does this, like, I don't know, make us friends or something?" Emma asked.

"I don't have friends," Regina reiterated. "Like I said, I just don't have anyone else to talk to. My mother forbade me to tell anyone about me and Daniel until after the production. She wants to save face, or something. She doesn't know that you know."

"I could be your friend," Emma offered, "you know, if you wanted."

"You don't want me as a friend."

Regina sighed and looked away from Emma, and Emma desperately wished she had the right words to say right now. How could she tell Regina that she wanted her as a friend more than she had ever wanted anything, without coming off sounding creepy or desperate?

"Do you think it stopped in morning or night?" Emma asked, finally.

"Excuse me?" Regina turned to look at Emma again, narrowing her eyes in utter confusion.

"The clock," Emma clarified, "do you think it stopped at 8:15 in the morning, or at night?"

Regina trailed her eyes up the wall to the back of the clock, which was dimly illuminated by the moonlight. "Does it make a difference?"

"I always just wondered. No one seems to know. I always wondered if it stopped at night because it was just tired and needed a break, or stopped in the morning because it just couldn't bear the thought of going through another day of the same thing it's done every day, forever, with no end in sight."

"It's a clock, Emma. It's old. I'm sure it didn't rationalize its decision to break."

"Yeah," Emma nodded, guessing her metaphor was lost on Regina. She wasn't about to explain to this girl how she related herself to a broken clock.

_You're really winning her over, Swan._

"I should take you home," Regina said, "you have class early tomorrow, I'm sure. This was stupid. I shouldn't have made you come out with me."

"You didn't make me," Emma insisted, "and I don't mind. Really."

"Okay," Regina said, as she led the way back down the stairwell.

"I won't tell anyone," Emma said, as they headed toward the car. She wasn't sure why she felt the need to reassure Regina of that, but somehow she did.

"I know," Regina nodded. "How could you? Your mother would murder you if she found out you snuck out at night."

She did have a point.

"How do you even know where I live?" Emma asked, after they had gotten in the car and Regina had set off back in the direction of Emma's house.

"I've been to your house before," Regina said.

"Really? When?" Emma couldn't remember Regina ever being in her house, and she was sure she would remember that.

"The year we did  _Cinderella_. Your mother did the social event planning that year, too, and I went with my mother a few times to meet with her at your house. You were never there when I came, though. Your mother always said you were at Lily's."

"Fucking Lily," Emma muttered. It made sense. The company put on  _Cinderella_ when Emma was eleven. She had a less rigorous dance schedule then, and she was always with Lily. It killed her now to know she  _could_  have been spending time with Regina, back then.

"I hate her, too," Regina said, with a small smile.

Emma glanced at her for a second, and wondered if that hatred came solely from Cora thinking Lily looked like Regina. Was that enough of a reason to hate someone? Emma figured it must have actually been jealousy, and Regina was too proud – or too embarrassed – to admit that.

"I just wanted to feel at home," Regina said, as she pulled the car up into Emma's driveway. "That's why I wanted to marry Daniel. I didn't want to belong to someone, I just wanted a place to belong to. It didn't even have to be dance, but I only know dancers."

"Yeah, I get it," Emma said. And she did get it.

"And I'm sorry I compared your mother to mine. They are nothing alike," Regina continued.

Emma glanced nervously at her house, suddenly expecting a light to flick on and her mother to come bonding down the drive way, ready to wring her neck. "Maybe they are," Emma said, finally. "See you tomorrow?"

Regina sighed and plastered on her fake, overly rehearsed smile. "Every day until eternity! Or at least until this damn production is over… along Lily and my mother and Daniel… at least I might  _want_  to see you."

And now, Emma had another thing to overthink about and keep her up all night.

Regina might want to see her.

And she might never sleep again.

* * *


	8. Chapter 8

When Emma woke up the following morning, she felt like she hadn't slept at all. In reality, she really hadn't, not more than a couple hours, at most. She groggily dragged herself to the shower, hoping the warm water would wake her up. It wasn't helping.

But this wasn't the first time she'd gone through her day like a zombie, and she was sure it certainly wouldn't be the last. She pulled her hair up high on her head, and went to work on her make-up: pink shimmery eye shadow under her eyes, topped with concealer, to erase the dark purple circles underneath, and she looked like a whole new woman, even if she still felt like crap.

She pulled on her tights and her leotard and threw the rest of her stuff back in her dance bag. The last thing she grabbed was her phone, and she immediately noticed it was blinking with a missed text message. She supposed she shouldn't have even been surprised at this point when she saw the message was from Regina.

_Sorry about last night._

The message had come when Emma was in the shower, and she was conflicted on how to answer. She wasn't even sure why Regina was sorry.

_It was fine, really._

Emma stared at her phone for a few minutes, half expecting Regina to text back right away as she had the night before, but no message came in.

"Emma! Hurry up!" Mary Margaret called from downstairs, and Emma threw her phone into her dance bag and headed down to meet her mother.

"You have your meeting with the nutritionist today, Emma, don't forget," Mary Margaret informed her, as they headed out to the car.

"Funny you mention that, Mom, because Ana thinks I'm not eating enough," Emma replied.

"Ana? The costume designer?" Mary Margaret asked, with a raised eyebrow. "I didn't realize she was such an expert."

"Mom! She said I'm way under the weight requirement," Emma whined.

"Well, unfortunately for you, your height hinders you, Emma. And because of that, you need to make sure you are perfect in every other aspect, since it's the one thing you can't do anything about," Mary Margaret explained, regurgitating the same information she had been fed throughout her own short-lived dancing career.

"I grew an inch," Emma offered.

"Good," Mary Margaret nodded. "Grow some more, and it won't be an issue."

Emma sighed and rolled her eyes, and reached for her phone again to see if Regina had messaged her back. To her relief, this time, she had.

_Good. See you this afternoon._

It wasn't really anything, but Emma still had to grin at the message. It was from Regina, and therefore, it meant  _everything._

"Emma! Don't tell me you are going to become addicted to your phone now," Mary Margaret lamented. "You're seventeen!  _Act_  like a seventeen-year-old."

Emma bit her lip to resist the urge to tell her that this was  _exactly_  how a seventeen-year-old should act, because she knew her mother meant act like a professional seventeen-year-old adult who thought of nothing but dance.

"It's about the production," Emma shrugged. "It's from Regina."

"Oh," Mary Margaret said, smiling. "Are you two becoming friends?"

"I guess you could say that," Emma shrugged again.

"Good. She's a good friend to have, Emma. She's got a lot of connections and she could really help you out."

Emma stared at her mother in disbelief. On one hand, she guessed she should just take her mother's approval of her choice in friends without question, since Mary Margaret  _rarely_ approved of the people who Emma spent time with – not that there were many vying for a spot in her life anyway – but on the other hand, she couldn't believe that her mother would take something as simple and pure as  _friendship_ and try to use it to propel her career.

"Okay, well, I'm going to stay late at the studio tonight. Neal said he will help me go over some stuff for the production," Emma said. It was a complete lie. In reality, she wanted to hang out with Ruby tonight and tell her all about whatever the nutritionist said, which she was sure would be ridiculous, and she knew Neal would always cover for her anyway.

"Ok, Sweetheart," Mary Margaret smiled, as she pulled up in front of the studio. "Call me if you need a ride home."

"Thanks Mom," Emma said as she hopped out of the car.

* * *

"Wow. You look like shit," Ruby commented, as Emma approached her after her first class that morning.

"Wow, thanks! You always know how to make me feel better!" Emma laughed.

"What the hell happened?" Ruby asked, noting the grin on Emma's face.

Emma looked around, to make sure the hallway was deserted. "Okay, promise you won't tell anyone? Like  _anyone?_ "

"Duh," Ruby laughed. "You know I can keep a secret."

"I went out with Regina last night," Emma grinned.

"What? Shut up! You did not," Ruby said, slapping Emma playfully on the shoulder.

"Oh, I did. But I promised her I wouldn't tell anyone, so seriously, you can't tell anyone," Emma insisted.

"Yeah. Got it. What happened? Did you  _kiss_  her?"

"What? No! We just kind of hung out and talked. It wasn't like it was a date or anything. And I'm pretty sure she's not…."

"Not what? Gay? Engaged? The devil incarnate?"

"She is not the devil incarnate!" Emma cried, shaking her head. "She's nice. She's just misunderstood."

"Whatever Swan," Ruby laughed. "You coming to the diner tonight?"

"Yeah," Emma nodded. "After practice and my stupid meeting with the stupid nutritionist, I'll be there. I expect grilled cheese and extra onion rings, to make up for your obnoxiousness."

"As you wish," Ruby said, rolling her eyes.

"Damn right as I wish," Emma laughed.

"Diva!" Ruby scoffed, as they both headed off to their next class of the day.

* * *

Emma checked her phone between every class, and every time she was dismayed to find there were no new messages. She wasn't sure why she thought Regina was going to start suddenly texting her all day. She tried to remind herself that Regina probably had more important things to worry about, and that she was probably the furthest thing from her mind.

So why was it that Emma could literally not stop thinking about Regina?

As the day progressed, she got increasingly more and more excited for the moment when she would finally see Regina at rehearsal. To her dismay, however, her afternoon consisted of doing blocking and learning choreography with Kathryn, Daniel and Frederick, while Regina spent most of the time in the office with Cora.

Emma wasn't really sure why she expected anything different to happen. It wasn't like she and Regina would just  _hang out_  every afternoon and evening until the production was done. There was work to do and unfortunately for Emma, having the starring  _dual_  role meant that she would be doing most of the work.

A small part of her still hoped that Regina would at least come out and watch her dance, but it occurred to her that was likely never to happen, since it would mean she also had to watch Daniel dance.

So Emma forced herself to get into the right headspace, and focused all her effort and energy on learning the section they were working on. Before she knew it, Kathryn was telling her they were done for the day, and Emma headed off to meet the nutritionist, who was to be waiting for her in one of the offices. Mary Margaret had secured the space for her daughter's meeting.

Emma strolled into the room, and was surprised to find not a female but a male waiting for her, who introduced himself as Dr. Whale.

"I thought I was meeting with Dr. Kavanaugh?" Emma asked, mildly confused.

"She was out sick today," Dr. Whale shrugged. "Now, let's get started, shall we?"

Emma half-listened as he rattled on about protein and carbs and BMRs and TDEEs. She found it hard to concentrate on learning about food when she was  _starving_. All she could think about was the meal Ruby would have waiting for her when she got to the diner.

Dr. Whale had brought a scale and a tape measure, and he weighed and measured Emma, but didn't comment on her weight at all, just jotted it down on the pad he had brought with him. He then produced a binder that he told her contained her meal plan for the duration of the production. Emma was confused at how he (or Dr. Kavanaugh) had come up with this without meeting her or speaking to her first.

"I'm under the weight requirement for this company," Emma said, as he handed her the binder. "I know my mom is paying you, but I really don't think I need this."

Dr. Whale looked unfazed. "I see," he said. "Well, Dr. Kavanaugh and myself are professionals, Emma."

Emma sighed and took the binder, rolling her eyes as she got up to leave. She thanked Dr. Whale, even if she didn't mean it, and headed back to the studio to pick up her dance bag.

"Hey." Emma looked up at the familiar voice, and couldn't help but smile when she saw Regina there.

"Hey," Emma said back.

"Why are you still here?"

Emma held up the binder. "My mom made me meet with a nutritionist. I think this guy's a quack."

"Who was it?" Regina asked, stepping closer.

"Dr. Whale?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "He's an idiot. If he gave you that, I'd toss it, to be honest."

Emma smirked. "I would, but my mother will insist on seeing it," she explained, as she stuffed the binder into her dance bag.

"I see. So what are you doing now? Private?" Regina asked, referring to a private session with one of the teachers.

"Nope.  _Now_  I am going to Ruby's grandmother's diner to eat some greasy food," Emma grinned. "Dance makes me hungry. Crazy how that works, right?"

Regina smiled. "I suppose as long as you're not eating in the studio again."

Emma picked up her dance bag and hesitated for a moment, wondering if she was going to regret what she was about to do. "Do you… maybe wanna come with me?"

Regina gaped at Emma for a moment. "Come with you to the diner?" she asked.

Emma could feel her cheeks flushing. "Yeah, I mean, if you want to. We could like, I dunno, hang out or something? Ruby will be there too. I was just thinking, you know, if you want to hang out and have some girl time, maybe?"

"Girl time?" Regina repeated, raising an eyebrow. "Can't say I've ever done that."

"Well, you should," Emma insisted. "I mean, if you want to. You don't have to, I just… um…"

Regina smiled and shook her head. "Do you always get flustered this easily? Or do I just have this effect on you?"

Emma could feel the blush deepening in her cheeks, and she was pretty sure that was all the answer that Regina needed. She might not be the most poised person, but when Regina was around, it was like her brain practically short-circuited.

Regina glanced toward the open office door, where Cora was still working on some sort of paper work. "One second," she said, holding up a finger to indicate that Emma should wait. Regina entered the office and said something to Cora that Emma couldn't hear. She saw Cora roll her eyes, then look at her, and then smile and say something back to Regina.

Regina came back out of the office and rejoined Emma. "The dictator has deemed me worthy of leaving early," Regina said, smiling.

"So… does that mean yes, you're coming?" Emma asked, still unsure.

"Yes," Regina nodded. "Want me to drive?"

"Well, it's either that, or we walk, and you're in heels, so…"

"If I didn't know any better, Miss Swan, I would swear you are using me for my car," Regina said, as they headed out of the building.

"No! I'm not, I'm-" Emma stammered.

"Emma! I was joking," Regina said, shaking her head as she unlocked the car. "You should really learn to relax."

Emma let out a long breath and shook her head as she got into the passenger side of the car. On one hand, she was happy to be in this car with Regina again, but on the other hand, she wondered if she was getting in way over her head with this unpredictable girl who seemed to make her more and more flustered by the moment.

At least they'd be at the diner in two minutes. She wondered if she should shoot Ruby a text, and warn her that she was bringing Regina, but she knew that might look suspicious. She only hoped Ruby would be cool and not say anything to embarrass her or blow her cover.

Emma suddenly realized this might be a very bad idea.

**To Be Continued….**


	9. Chapter 9

"Hi," Ruby said, amusement evident in her voice as she eyed Regina walking into the diner behind Emma. "You didn't tell me you were bringing company. I would have made more food."

"Oh, I don't need anything," Regina insisted, as she took in the interior of the diner with wide eyes. Emma guessed she had never been in here before.

"Sorry, Rubes, last minute kinda thing," Emma grinned, as she motioned for Regina to follow herself and Ruby into the back of the diner. For once, Emma noted, Regina seemed to be the one completely flustered.

Emma grinned even bigger as she saw the heaping pile of onion rings sitting next to her grilled cheese on the plate on the little table in the back. "Come on," Emma said, "sit down."

Regina followed Emma over to the table, curling up her lip in disgust at the deep fryers as they passed by them. "So Ruby has food waiting for you every day?" Regina asked, as she took the seat next to Emma.

"I do as her Highness commands," Ruby laughed, as she took the third seat at the table.

"Her Highness?" Regina asked, quirking an eyebrow at Emma.

"Oh, didn't you know? Emma thinks she's hot shit now that she's a Prima Ballerina," Ruby laughed, elbowing Emma in the ribs. Normally, Emma would laugh and make some sort of witty retort, but right now the only thing on her mind was trying  _not_  to scare Regina so badly that she would want to run out of the diner.

Why had she thought this would be a good idea?

"Onion ring?" she asked, pushing the plate toward Regina.

"Not on your life," Regina scoffed. "No offense to you, Ruby, but this food is just a heart attack waiting to happen."

Ruby burst out laughing. "Oh, sorry,  _your Majesty_ ," Ruby said, finally, earning her an odd look from both Emma and Regina. "What? She's an even bigger diva than you are, and she's not even a dancer!"

Emma shot Regina a quick glance, trying to see if Ruby's words had hurt her, but Regina's face remained as stoic as ever, so Emma just decided to change the subject instead. She reached into her dance bag and pulled out the binder from the nutritionist, and handed it to Ruby. "I haven't read it yet. Tell me how ridiculous it is."

Ruby grinned as she flipped through the pages. "No fast food… no  _fried_  food, ha! … go to sleep on an empty stomach… oh here's a good tip, no carbs after lunch! What great fucking advice for a  _dancer_."

Emma held up an onion ring, eying it suspiciously. "Is this a carb?"

"Yes," Regina answered, immediately, unaware that Emma was trying to make a joke.

"But onions are a vegetable, right? One cancels out the other, correct?" Emma laughed.

"I don't think that's how-"

"She's joking!" Ruby cut in, cutting Regina off mid-sentence.

"Oh," Regina said, and Emma could see her visibly stiffening up in her chair, clearly uncomfortable.

This was such a bad idea.

The awkwardness was thankfully cut short when they heard the chime on the front door of the diner, indicating another person had just entered the otherwise empty restaurant. Ruby rolled her eyes and got up to see who was there, though she quite obviously wanted to stay and talk to her friend. Emma breathed a sigh of relief that it was finally going to be just her and Regina.

But that relief was short-lived, once she heard the distinct voice of the person who had entered.

"Shit," Emma mumbled under her breath, as she pushed the plate of onions rings away from her.

"What?" Regina asked, looking at her with wide, confused eyes.

"It's my mother. She's literally going to murder me," Emma sighed, and rolled her eyes as she heard Mary Margaret's footsteps getting closer to the back of the diner.

"Emma!" Mary Margaret gasped, as she looked back and forth between her daughter and the plate of deep fried food.

"Sorry, Emma," Ruby said, as she attempted to cut between Emma and Mary Margaret. "I tried to cover for you, but she recognized Regina's car and she knew something was up."

"Ruby, please," Mary Margaret said, putting a hand up in an attempt to silence the girl. "Emma, what the hell do you think you're doing? And  _what_  are you  _eating_?"

"We got done early," Emma lied. "I'm just hanging out with my friends, and you're embarrassing me," she continued, motioning to Regina with her eyes in an attempt to get her mother to cool it.

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Nolan," Regina cut in, suddenly. "I asked Emma to come out."

Mary Margaret raised a disbelieving eyebrow at Regina, before turning back to Emma. "Now you have two people covering for you? I expect this from Ruby, but honestly, Regina, you surprise me. Does your mother know where you are?"

"I'm eighteen," Regina retorted. "I don't need my mother's permission to go out."

"Well, Emma does," Mary Margaret snapped back.

"Mom! Would you please relax? We're not doing anything wrong. We are literally just here talking about this stupid nutrition plan," Emma said, picking up the binder and sliding it across the table for emphasis.

Mary Margaret's expression changed from annoyance to interest in a split second, as she picked up the binder and began leafing through it. "This isn't stupid, Emma. It's meant to help you, and it was expensive, I might add."

"I don't need it," Emma insisted through gritted teeth.

"If I may, Mrs. Nolan," Regina said, calmly but firmly, "I agree with Emma. Dr. Whale isn't a good doctor."

Mary Margaret looked back and forth between Regina and Emma for a moment. Emma could see the wheels turning in her mother's head, but she had no idea what she was thinking about in that moment.

"We'll talk about this at home," Mary Margaret said, finally.

"So, you're letting me stay out?" Emma asked, not really wanting to get her hopes up.

Mary Margaret shrugged. "If I force you to come home now, you're just going to sulk for the rest of the night and I don't have the patience for that tonight. I'll read this over tonight, and we'll talk about it tomorrow."

"Oh, uh, thanks," Emma stammered, completely caught off guard.

The three teens watched as Mary Margaret turned and headed back out of the diner, and when the door chimed again on her exit, Emma let out a long relieved sigh.

"Holy shit," Ruby mumbled, shaking her head.

"What was it I said about shit mothers?" Regina asked, raising an eyebrow at Emma.

Emma resisted the urge to tell Regina she was right. No matter how off-the-handle her mother could be at some times, Emma still loved her, and she still wasn't quite sure if she could trust Regina enough to delve into her mother issues with her just yet.

"I cannot believe she let you stay," Ruby marveled.

"I'm sure it's because I was here," Regina observed. "Your mother likely thinks that I can advance your career somehow."

Emma gaped at Regina. Her assessment was bang on. "Regina, that's not… that's not at all why I invited you out tonight."

"I know," Regina smiled. "I said she thinks that, not you. I couldn't help your career, even if I wanted to. My mother has all the pull and, well, you've seen how much she values my opinion."

Emma sighed. "I'm so sorry. About all of this. I just thought… well, it doesn't matter. This whole night was a disaster."

"Not the whole night. The onion rings were good, weren't they?" Ruby grinned.

Emma couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah, but now they're cold."

"You want me to make new ones?"

"No, it's alright. I kind of lost my appetite," Emma admitted.

"Must be all the carbs," Regina smirked.

"Maybe," Emma laughed, before glancing at the clock. "Oh, shit, Ruby, I didn't realize what time it was. You're so far behind on closing. Want help?"

"Actually, yeah," Ruby nodded.

"I can help, too," Regina offered. "What needs to be done."

"Oh, you don't have to help Regina," Ruby insisted. "Emma needs to do  _something_  to offset the massive amounts of free food she gets from us."

"It's not  _massive_! And maybe Regina and I can take care of the dishes?"

Ruby nodded, and turned to head out front to clean the tables, as Emma led the way over to the dish station.

"You really don't actually have to help," Emma said. "I just wanted a minute alone with you."

Regina raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you did? Why's that, I wonder?"

"Because I just really wanted to say I'm sorry. I'm sure you'll probably never want to hang out with me outside of the studio again, but, you know, if you did… not every night is a disaster."

"I find that hard to believe," Regina smirked, as she set about helping Emma with the dishes anyway. "But that doesn't mean I wouldn't want to hang out with you again. Actually, I kind of think I know why you wanted me to come in the first place."

Emma swallowed hard. She was certain Regina had  _no idea_  why she wanted to spend time with her, but she was intrigued to know what Regina thought the reason was. "Yeah? Why did I then?"

Regina smiled and shook her head. For a moment, Emma thought she might not actually answer the question, until she sighed and spoke again. "I think you think I need the distraction from my life," she said, finally.

"Oh, yeah, I guess I do," Emma admitted. That really was part of it, though it was nowhere near the biggest part. Either way, Emma was sure Regina wasn't ready to hear the whole reason just yet.

"About what I said last night, when I said you wouldn't want me for a friend… That's the truth, Emma, I'm not a good friend. I don't really know  _how_  to have friends, actually. I never really have. But, since you seem pretty insistent on wanting to spend time with me, I guess I could try?"

Emma bit the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from laughing at how adorably awkward Regina was, especially since she knew her awkwardness came with a lot of pain below the surface. "Regina Mills, are you asking me to be your friend?"

Regina smiled and looked down at the counter top, and for the first time in her life, Emma actually saw Regina blush. "I guess I am. Do you accept?"

This time, Emma couldn't stop the laugh from coming out. "Well, I must say, I've never had such a formal invitation of friendship, but yes, I enthusiastically accept," Emma said, holding out her hand for Regina to shake on it.

Emma felt a tingle down her spine when Regina took her hand to shake. "I'm not sure how enthusiastic I would be if I were you. I'm kind of a mess."

Emma simply shrugged. "Who isn't?"

* * *

Emma sat in the passenger seat of Regina's car as it idled in the driveway in front of her house.

"Are you planning on going in?" Regina asked, after more time than was necessary had passed, and Emma hadn't moved or said a word.

"Yeah. I'm just mentally preparing myself," Emma admitted, taking a deep breath.

"Oh. Well, you could always text me or even call me if you need to talk? After you talk to your mother, I mean," Regina offered.

Emma had to smile at Regina's sincere attempts to be a friend, even if her voice did betray that this was completely unfamiliar ground for the brunette. "Thanks," Emma said, "but I have a phone curfew of ten o'clock, and it's 9:45."

Regina smirked. "Well, I have it on good authority that you do, in fact, use your phone after ten o'clock."

"Yeah, I've got a rebellious streak," Emma laughed, but her smile faded as she saw the front door open, and Mary Margaret's figure came into view in the doorway. "I better go. Time to face the firing squad."

"Good luck," Regina said, trying to sound hopeful. "At least text me goodnight, so I know you made it out alive."

"Okay," Emma nodded, as she finally got out of the car.

* * *

It was 11:30 by the time Emma was finally back in her bedroom, after a lengthy discussion with her parents.

No, discussion wasn't the right word. More like lecture, from Mary Margaret, while Emma sat silently, and David tried to be reassuring in moments when Mary Margaret actually stopped for longer than two seconds.

She was about to dive under the covers when she remembered Regina's request from earlier. She put her phone on silent, and typed out the text.

_Good Night_

A response came back almost immediately, and Emma wondered, again, if Regina was holding her phone waiting for a message. She resisted the urge to go over to the window and look out, and see if, perhaps, she had never left the driveway at all.

_How did it go?_

Emma sighed. This was not the kind of thing she could get into over text messaging, and she knew she couldn't call Regina. Her parents were still awake and they would absolutely hear her on the phone.

_Long story. Talk tomorrow?_

Emma chewed on her bottom lip, waiting for a response. It took a little longer this time, and Emma wondered if maybe she was wrong in assuming that Regina would want to talk to her about it tomorrow. Maybe she was just being polite in asking how it went. Maybe she really didn't care at all.

_Sure. Maybe we can do lunch?_

Emma's heart skipped a beat. Had Regina Mills really just asked her to have lunch with her?

_That sounds great :)_

Emma shoved her phone under her pillow as she heard a knock at her door.

"Can I come in?"

"Yeah, Daddy," Emma said, as she sat up and turned to the door. David walked in, and sat beside his daughter on the bed.

"You okay, Princess?" he asked. Emma blushed at the nickname. She had loved it when she was a child, but now her father only really used it when he thought Emma was upset. She always insisted she was too old for pet names, but secretly, she still loved it. And secretly, she was sure David knew that.

"Yeah, I'm fine, it's just… I don't know why she has to be so crazy?"

David sighed. "She thinks she's doing what's best for you. All she's ever wanted is for you to be happy, she just goes about it all the wrong ways."

"I know," Emma nodded. "And I get that she wants to be successful, I just wish… I just wish she would stop pushing me so hard. I'm exactly where I need to be, so why can't she just relax?"

"It's not in her nature, Emma," David replied, shaking his head.

"Yeah, I know. I'm just glad I have you to keep the balance around here. Don't you dare ever leave me," Emma warned.

"Never, Princess," David promised, before planting a kiss on Emma's forehead. "Now, try to get some sleep. You look terrible."

"Thanks, Dad. You sure know how to make a girl feel good," Emma laughed, as David got up and left the room. Once he had shut the door behind him, she retrieved her phone from under her pillow to read the last message from Regina.

_Good night, Emma. See you tomorrow… friend._

Emma grinned as she tucked her phone away again. She laid back on her pillow and smiled up at her ceiling fan, marveling at how much her life had changed in the past few days. Just last week she was a nobody at the dance studio, the one everyone made fun of, and someone she was certain that Regina couldn't care less about.

But now… now she was starring in  _Swan Lake_. Now, she was somebody. And the somebody she was, was also now friends with Regina Mills.

And that alone was enough to make up for the grueling hours that this production would take, and the toll that would take on her body, and the hit that her relationship with her mother would most likely take over the next couple months.

It was all worth it, because Emma was sure, for once, that she was exactly where she needed to be.

* * *


	10. Chapter 10

Emma smiled to herself when she saw the studio C's door open, and watched Regina slip inside quickly and quietly. She still had fifteen minutes of her last class before they broke for lunch, and she was in the middle of demonstrating an intricate turn combo - the very one she'd watched Lily fall out of four times that class.

She shot Regina a small smirk as she finished the combo and stepped to the side with the other dancers, to let Lily go again, secretly hoping she'd fall again this time, for Regina's entertainment. To her dismay, Lily finally nailed the combo and paused to give Regina a deliberately cocky sneer before rejoining the rest of the dancers.

_What the hell was that?_

Emma knew there had to be more to what was going on between Regina and Lily than Regina had let on previously, but now Emma was more intrigued than ever to know - what she assumed would be - very juicy details. She wondered if maybe she could figure out a way to bring it up at lunch.

"Emma," Neal called, drawing her attention back to the class. "Do you want to demo that other combo? The one we worked on last week?"

Emma nodded and stepped back out on the floor. The new combo had nothing to do with this class, but it was a difficult one that really showed off her abilities, and the wink Neal gave her told her he was doing this on purpose to let her show off her moves in front of Regina.

This was the first time Regina had ever really watched Emma dance, since the audition, and she knew she'd have to thank him later for giving her this chance to redeem herself.

Or punch him, if she blew it.

But she didn't blow it. She nailed it, and she caught Regina's smile at the end, as she rejoined the rest of the dancers, who all looked utterly confused as to why Neal had just had Emma perform that combo. Lucky for her, no one but Neal or Ruby paid enough attention to her to notice the crush she had on Regina that she was fairly sure she was terrible at hiding.

Neal dismissed the class five minutes early, and stepped over to talk to Regina as Emma ran into the change room to get ready for her lunch date. She wasn't sure if Regina considered it a date - in fact, she was almost positive that she  _didn't_  - but in Emma's head it was a date, and she was going to act as such.

She slipped into her skinny jeans and a silky red sleeveless shirt that she'd borrowed from Ruby ages ago and never gotten around to giving back. She stepped into a pair of black flats and stood in front of the full length mirror in the dressing room, scrutinizing her appearance.

She knew Regina was wearing black pants and a teal coloured top, with heels. Regina's outfit looked more professional and Emma's looked more casual, but Emma supposed she cleaned up alright, nonetheless. She opted to leave the tight bun in her hair, so she wouldn't have to worry about re-doing it later.

"What's with you? You got a date or something?" Lily asked, mockingly, as she stepped up behind Emma.

Emma glanced momentarily at Lily's reflection in the mirror. "None of your business. Leave me alone."

Lily snorted. "Oh, my God! Why are you so immature?"

Emma spun around. "Immature?  _Really_? Because starting rumours about me is just  _so_  classy. Why don't you run along and tell everyone I'm hooking up with Neal over lunch? You know you want to."

Lily shrugged. "Maybe if he would stop giving you special treatment, then people would stop believing it."

"Jealousy doesn't become you, Lily," Emma retorted, "but what  _I_  can't figure out, is exactly what you're envious of? Is it the attention Neal gives me? Do you wish he'd look at you the way he looks at me? Or are you jealous of Neal? Or - and this is the one my money's on - does it just burn your ass that I'm a better dancer than you?"

Emma was completely oblivious to the group of girls who had stopped what they were doing to watch what was going on between herself and Lily. All her attention was on the rage boiling in Lily's dark eyes.

"Take that back! You just think you're hot shit because you got Swan Lake. That role was mine! If you only knew the  _real_ reason they cast you, you would shut your stupid mouth," Lily spat back at her.

Emma faltered for a moment, before regaining her confidence. "Oh yeah? Well, if you're so well-informed, why don't you enlighten me?"

Lily smirked. "Sworn to secrecy, sorry. Why don't you go ask your new BFF out there? You two are a match made in heaven, you know? Because you're both fucking pathetic."

"Take that back!"

Lily smirked again, before turning to walk away from Emma. Emma stopped her by grabbing her arm, forcing Lily to turn and face her again.

"Get your hand off of me," Lily demanded, shaking her arm free from Emma's grip.

"I wasn't done talking to you!"

"Yeah, well, I'm done with you, Emma. Don't you get it? You think you're so much better than me, but what you don't get is, you're just a white trash wannabe, just like your mother."

That was about all Emma could take, and before she even realized what she was doing, she felt her fist connect with Lily's jaw bone.

The room was silent enough that everyone heard the punch, and aside from a few gasps, no one spoke or breathed, including Emma, waiting to see what Lily's reaction was going to be.

And Lily just smiled and shook her head, as her hand went to her face. "Of every stupid thing you've ever done, Emma, this takes the cake. I hope you enjoyed your dance career while it lasted, because you're going to be out of this company before the end of the day, I guarantee it."

Emma just started at Lily, her heart pounding so hard she thought it might burst right out of her chest, as the realization that she was right hit her. There was a zero tolerance rule against fighting in the company, and Emma was already  _far_  from being in Cora Mills' good books. As soon as Lily ratted her out, she'd be done, and she knew it.

She couldn't force herself to speak, so she just grabbed her dance bag and ran out of the change room. She ran back through the studio, not even thinking about her street shoes on the expensive dance floor, as she tried to avoid Neal and Regina's questioning looks. She just wanted to get out, and get as far away from this place as possible.

"Emma?" Neal called after her. "Emma!" When she didn't answer, he ran behind her and grabbed her by the arm.

"Let go of me," she said, in a pained whisper, her voice cracking as she tried to choke back tears.

She was going to be out of the production. She'd be out of the company. Her mother would literally  _murder_  her. She'd probably never see Regina again.

How was she on top of the world yesterday, and today it was all over?

"Emma, what the hell just happened?" Neal said, stepping between her and the door.

Emma shifted nervously, looking at the floor as the rest of the girls made their way out of the change room and out the door. Lily, of course, was the last one out, and she made a point of stopping right before the door, and turning to Emma.

"Have a good lunch,  _Emma._  See you at production tonight… maybe," she laughed, before letting the door slam behind her.

Emma swallowed hard, still looking at the floor, as she heard Regina's heels clicking as she walked up behind her. She wished Ruby was in this class, and at least she could have had someone in that change room to stop her. She guessed Lily wouldn't have approached her if she hadn't have been completely alone, though.

"Alright, talk," Neal said, firmly. Emma knew there was no way she was getting out of this confession, and considering that she was pretty sure Lily and her entourage were on their way to talk to Mrs. Mills right now, it was only a matter of time before  _everyone_  knew… including Neal and Regina.

Maybe it was best if they heard it from her, first.

She glanced quickly at Regina who was beside her now, looking concerned, and back at Neal, before the tears started. She was not a crier, she never had been, and it was enough to make Neal realize something was very, very wrong.

"Come on, come into the office," Neal said, ushering her in the direction of the small office inside the studio. Emma glanced behind her as she turning, locking eyes with Regina for a moment, and Regina quickly followed behind.

Emma sat down as soon as she stepped inside, and Regina pulled up a chair beside her, as Neal shut the door. He headed over and sat down on top of the desk.

"Alright, Blondie, spill it," Neal said, trying to ease the tension with his laidback attitude.

Emma took a deep breath and wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "I punched Lily."

Regina actually snorted beside her, and Emma shot her a confused look, which was only met with an overly amused look from Regina. She turned to Neal, then, who looked more concerned than happy, at least.

"You punched Lily," he repeated. "Why?"

Emma let out an exasperated sigh. "Because you know how bad she gets to me! She knows all the right buttons to push. I just… I overreacted and now I'm fucked because she's going to get me kicked out of the production and kicked out of the company and my mother's going to kill me!"

Regina spoke up before Neal had a chance to respond. "Oh, don't worry. You are  _not_  going to get kicked out of this company because of Lily Page. Trust me," she said, still smiling, her voice exuding quite a bit of confidence in the matter.

"How can you know that?" Emma cried. "She's going to go to your mother right now! Everyone saw it."

Regina shook her head. "She's not going to go to my mother. If she does, she's stupider than I thought," Regina said, vaguely.

Emma noted the confused look that Neal gave Regina, and she guessed he didn't have any more idea of what she was talking about than she did.

"Look, Emma," Neal said. "My father and Regina's mother own this company, you know that. We're not going to let you get kicked out. Have I ever let you get kicked out before?"

"No," Emma admitted. "But I've never punched anyone before."

"True," Neal agreed, "but don't worry about it. It's gonna be fine, Em. Regina and I, we've got your back, right Regina?"

Regina nodded. She hadn't stopped smiling the whole time, and Emma was starting to wonder if the girl was just nuts.

What if this had  _all_  been a game to her, all along? What if she was  _enjoying_  this?

She didn't want to think like that, but Regina's reaction was making it very, very hard not to.

"Come on, Emma," Regina said, standing. "We have a lunch to get to, remember?"

Emma chewed on her bottom lip. "I kind of lost my appetite."

Regina frowned, and put her hands on her hips. "Fine. Let's go someplace and talk, then. I have something to tell you. I think it will help you put all of this into perspective."

Emma shot Neal a questioning look, and for his part, he just shrugged. She sighed, and looked back at Regina as she stood up. "Okay, but I don't know what you could possibly tell me that will make me feel better."

"Oh ye of little faith," Regina scoffed, as she headed toward the door. Emma grabbed her dance bag from the floor where she'd dropped it, but Neal stopped her.

"Just leave it here," he offered. "You're here again after lunch, and I guarantee you will still be in the company then," he promised. Emma sighed and handed him the bag, as she followed Regina back out of the office, and out of the studio.

Emma could feel all eyes on her as they made their way down the busy hallway, and she knew that news of the punch had already spread like wildfire. She kept her eyes trained in front of her as she and Regina walked in silence. Emma didn't even know where they were headed until Regina stopped at a door and pulled out her keys, unlocking one of the nicer offices in the building.

This office was large and had a soft leather couch on one side of the room. She took a seat while Regina locked the door behind them, before joining Emma on the couch.

"There's something else, isn't there?" Regina asked, the moment she sat down.

"What?"

"Something else happened. What was it?"

Emma narrowed her eyes, wondering how on earth Regina had picked up on that. "Yeah, actually. Lily made a comment about 'if I only knew the real reason you cast me'," Emma explained.

"Is  _that_  why you punched her?" Regina asked, her eyes growing wide.

"No! She was making fun of me… and you… and she said I was white trash like my mother, and I just… punched her," Emma shrugged.

Regina smiled again, and Emma was baffled.  _How could she possibly be enjoying this?_

"Did it feel good at least?" Regina asked, looking at Emma, hopefully.

"What?" Emma gasped, as that was the  _last_  thing she expected to hear from Regina's mouth.

"Nevermind. You want to know the real reason why we picked you?" Regina asked, her face growing more serious.

"Um… I don't know? I mean, I did, but now… I'm scared to," Emma admitted.

Regina shook her head. "You can't tell anyone this," she said, looking down as if she were about to make some huge confession, and she couldn't bear to look Emma in the eye anymore.

And then it hit her. That was  _exactly_  what she was about to do.

"I won't. I swear," Emma vowed.

Regina nodded, but kept her eyes fixated on her hands for a moment, before looking up to meet Emma's gaze again.

"The reason that my mother and I argued about who to cast, was not because I picked you, but because she questioned the reason  _why_  I picked you," Regina started. Emma just blinked at her, as the realization that it had been Regina who picked her from the start sank in. "Despite the fact that you fell, she never actually questioned your ability dance the part, and she never said you gave the worst audition of the day. I'm sorry I said that."

"It's okay," Emma said, almost a knee-jerk reaction. At this point, she couldn't care less what Cora thought of her dancing abilities, she only cared what Regina thought. And why.

"Yes, well," Regina said, with a sigh, "there's a reason I wouldn't tell you when you asked why we cast you. The reason my mother questioned me is because she thought I was choosing you intentionally because I didn't want Daniel dancing with Lily. And the  _reason_  she would think I didn't want Daniel dancing with Lily is… she's the one he left me for."

Regina's eyes dropped back to her hands again, and the information hit Emma like a ton of bricks.

"Shit," Emma mumbled, unsure what else she could really say at the moment. "I'm sorry."

"Yes, well, it is what it is, right? Nothing I can do about it now. He picked her," Regina said, shaking her head and straightening her shoulders, while keeping her eyes down.

Suddenly, everything made perfect sense… except one thing.

"Why is she my understudy, then?" Emma asked, quietly.

Regina looked up again, almost surprised. "When it all came out, she had to sign a nondisclosure agreement, in order to stay in the company. She and Daniel both did. They are not allowed to go public with their relationship until this season is over. She threatened not to sign unless my mother guaranteed her the lead role. Obviously, my mother wasn't about to go for that, and Lily didn't want to lose her place here, so she accepted a guarantee for understudy. Of course, at that time, she didn't know you'd get the part," Regina added, with a wink.

Emma nodded slowly, digesting that information. "So… you told me before you picked me because Daniel doesn't like blondes? Was that… why did you pick me?"

Regina smiled again, and Emma could tell whatever she was about to say, was actually going to be the truth this time. "Because you're the best. I've seen you dance a million times, one fall in one audition didn't change anything for me. Daniel not liking blondes was just icing on the cake."

Emma supposed that was true, that Regina had seen her dance a million times. She'd had no idea that Regina had actually been  _watching_ , though.

"It did feel good," Emma said, a small smiling creeping up at the corner of her lips. "I mean, not when I did it, but now… that bitch had it coming."

Regina laughed out loud, and leaned back against the back of the couch, looking more relaxed than Emma had ever seen her. "I wish I could have seen it. I mean, I  _know_  Daniel's the one who cheated, but she is just being so obnoxious about it. She already won, what else does she want?"

"She didn't win," Emma said, shaking her head. "He cheated on you. He's no prize, Regina. I'm sorry, I know you loved him and all, but he's… an ass."

For a moment, the smile on Regina's face fell, and Emma wondered if she'd gone too far. Maybe it wasn't  _loved_ , past-tense. Maybe she still did?

But the smile slowly came back after a moment, and Emma realized Regina wasn't upset with her, she was working through the emotions inside her head. "He is an ass," she said, finally. Who wants to get married at eighteen anyway, right?"

"Right," Emma agreed. "You've got your whole life to meet the right person, you know."

Regina turned and looked at Emma intently, like she was studying her for a moment, before speaking again. "What about you, Emma? I know those rumours about Neal aren't true, and your mother keeps you on a short leash… no offense. Where does true love lay for Emma Swan?"

Emma laughed and shook her head, looking up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to find her courage. "You just told me a really important secret," Emma sighed. "Do you want to hear mine?"

"Yes," Regina replied, without a moment's hesitation, making Emma laugh.

"Okay. The only person I've ever told this to is Ruby. I suspect Neal figured it out, but no one else knows. Not even my parents," Emma said, smirking at how Regina's eyes went wide. She wondered if no one had ever told this girl a secret before.

"I won't tell anyone," Regina promised.

"Emma Swan's true love is a woman," Emma said, biting her lip as she waited to see how Regina would take that.

"Who?" Regina asked.

"What?"

"Who? Who is she?" Regina pressed.

"Uh… I don't know? I'm trying to tell you I'm gay," Emma said, shaking her head. She didn't know if she should laugh or cry.

"Right, well, that much is obvious," Regina grinned.

"What?  _Really_?" Emma asked, narrowing her eyes at Regina suspiciously. She thought she hid it well.

"Sorry, dear, but yes," Regina laughed.

Emma felt her face flush, and she wasn't sure why. She should be relieved, not embarrassed, but now a whole new wave of fears was washing over, not the least of which was whether or not Regina had figured out she had a crush on her.

"Well, then, I guess I'm out of secrets," Emma shrugged, trying to sound unfazed. "My life isn't as interesting as yours."

"Your life is so much more interesting than mine is," Regina sighed, shaking her head. "You're an interesting person, Emma. That's why I like you."

Emma's heart skipped a beat. Of anything Regina could have said, now or ever, she hadn't expected to hear  _that_.

"Will you still be my friend if I do get kicked out of the company?" Emma asked, only half-joking.

"You punched Lily. You're more likely to receive a medal of honour from my mother than any sort of discipline. She doesn't care for Lily, for obvious reasons. She likes you," Regina informed her.

Emma wasn't sure how many more revelations she could take today. Cora liked her? Of everything she had learned today, that one was the most shocking.

"Don't look so surprised, Emma. You're a good dancer, and my mother thinks you are a definite credit to this company. You have the potential to go far, and my mother's got stars in her eyes. There was a time when she liked Lily, too. I wasn't lying when I said she thinks Lily looks like me."

"She doesn't," Emma said, almost immediately.

"I'm glad you don't think so," Regina smiled, before glancing at the clock. "It's almost time for you to go back to class. Shall we do lunch tomorrow?"

Emma grinned. "Yeah, for sure."

"Good. I think I like this friendship thing."

Emma laughed out loud. "Well, I'm glad I pestered you into it, then."

"Me too. Shall I walk you back to class, or would you prefer to run the gauntlet alone?"

"Oh, please, walk with me. I don't want to have to throw any more punches this afternoon."

"God, I hope that bitch's face bruises," Regina said, hopefully, as she got up to lead the way out of the room.

Emma couldn't help but wish it did, too, only because it would make Regina happy.

* * *

Halfway through her class, long after Regina had left and Emma was changed and trying to focus on the lesson and not the purple-ish mark on Lily's jaw, Cora Mills came in and quickly stepped across the floor, making a beeline for Emma.

Emma stopped and glanced at Ruby, nervously. She had learned from Ruby that the whole company knew about the punch fifteen minutes into the lunch break, so it wasn't a stretch to guess why Cora was here now.

Maybe Regina was wrong. Maybe she was getting kicked out.

Emma's stomach was in knots as Cora approached her. "Miss Swan, a word in the hallway, please," she said, before turning.

Emma followed behind her quickly, trying to avoid the smug smirk on Lily's face.

"Miss Swan," Cora said, as soon as the door shut behind them, "you must be aware that news of your little altercation with Miss Page has reached me by now."

Emma simply nodded, unable to force her mouth to form any words.

"As you are aware, this company maintains a zero tolerance policy," Cora continued, and Emma could feel the tears burning at the corners of her eyes again. "However, my daughter informs me that Miss Page was antagonizing you quite a bit prior to the incident. Is that true?"

"Yes, Mrs. Mills," Emma said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Well, you should know, Miss Swan, that I consider you to be an asset to this company, and your mother contributes a fair bit of money and her time to this company as well. I would be a shame to lose you both, and as such, I've decided to let you off with a warning."

Emma breathed a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank you, Mrs. Mills!"

"Do not let anything like this happen again. Do I make myself clear?"

Emma nodded enthusiastically. "Yes, Mrs. Mills. It will never happen again. You have my word."

"Good. Back to class you go, and don't be late for production tonight."

Emma nodded and scurried back into the studio, amidst several shocked faces and dropped jaws. She tried to avoid most of them, but couldn't help sneaking a peek at Lily, whose teeth clench as she stared at the wall ahead of her.

Emma smiled as Neal gave her a little wink.

"Everything good?" Ruby asked, looking at her friend expectantly.

"She let me off with a warning," Emma shrugged, glancing over at Lily, who was clearly eavesdropping and doing a terrible job at hiding it. "She considers me an asset to this company. Who knew?"

Ruby smirked and shook her head, quite aware of why Emma was making a point of saying that out loud. "Diva," she whispered.

"You know it," Emma laughed. She supposed the  _right_  thing to do would be to apologize to Lily, but Cora had never told her she had to, and Emma knew she wouldn't even consider it, if it were the other way around.

Emma decided that maybe - for once - it was her turn to have the upper hand.

She just wasn't sure how long it would last.

 


	11. Chapter 11

Ruby hadn't been kidding when she'd said the news of Emma and Lily's little throw down had spread like wildfire through the studio. By the time Emma made it to production, everyone she passed was making jokes or shielding their face and laughing, as if she were going to punch them, too. Lily might have been the one with the mark on her face, but it was Emma who was taking the brunt of the ridicule.

"Hey, slugger," Kathryn grinned, as she walked up to Emma.

Emma groaned. "Seriously? Not you, too!"

"Kidding, Emma! You think you're the first dancer to throw a punch? Not gonna lie, the thought has crossed my mind…"

Emma smirked and shook her head, guessing that it was probably her mother who Kathryn wanted to be on the receiving end of that punch. The situations really were similar, Emma guessed, only her father hadn't cheated on Kathryn. There had at least been a two week grace period between the ending of his relationship with her, and he beginning of his relationship with her mother.

"I'm just glad I didn't get kicked out of the production," Emma said.

"Me too," Kathryn agreed. "I do not want to have to start over with a new girl. I like you, Emma."

Emma laughed. "Everyone seems to like me today. Hell must have frozen over."

Kathryn just shook her head as they got to work, going over a new section of the dance. Emma was relieved she didn't have to work one-on-one with Daniel today, as she was fairly certain she might punch him to, after what Regina had told her, and she'd just promised Cora it wouldn't happen again.

She barely saw Regina at production that evening, as the brunette seemed to be following her mother around from place to place doing God knows what. Whatever it was, Emma guessed by the numerous eye rolls that it was anything  _but_  what Regina wanted to do.

By the end of production, neither Regina nor Cora were anywhere to be seen, so Emma decided to just get ready and go home - well, not  _home,_ to Ruby's grandmother's diner. She headed into the dressing room to change, and cringed when she found Lily in there. There were a couple other girls still hanging around, and Emma tried her best to avoid any contact with anyone.

But Lily had other plans.

"So," Lily said, sliding next to Emma as she tried to get changed. "Looks like I was  _way_ off-base about you and Neal, huh?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "I've been telling you that for years, Lily. Did that punch finally knock some sense into you?"

Lily smirked. "You only got to stay here because that's what  _her highness_  Regina wanted. I was right about you banging the kid of the owner, just wrong about which kid, apparently."

"Shut your mouth right now Lily," Emma warned, feeling the anger rising in her again. She couldn't care less about what Lily said about her, and she knew the rumours rolled right off Neal's back as well, but she wasn't about to let this girl start spreading lies about Regina.

"My, my, defensive, aren't we?" Lily mocked, "Makes it sound like you have something to hide."

"I have  _nothing_  to hide," Emma snapped back, "which is more than I can say for some people."

"What the hell is  _that_  supposed to mean?" Lily demanded.

Emma shrugged as she pulled her shirt on. "Nothing. Just leave me the hell alone. And leave Regina the hell alone, because she hasn't done anything to you."

"Don't act like you know anything about anything, Emma, because you don't have a clue."

"Fine," Emma shrugged. "But if you don't want to talk to me, stop  _talking_  to me. You can deal with your jealousy issues on your own time, because I honestly couldn't give a shit."

"This role has gone to your head, Emma. Everyone thinks so. Even  _Ruby_  thinks so," Lily taunted, her hands on her hips and her face challenging.

Emma took in a deep breath, trying to keep her cool. "Don't talk to me," she said finally. "Don't talk about me, and don't talk about my friends. Just stay the hell away from me, because I'm starting to feel like you're obsessed with me."

Lily just laughed. "I'm obsessed with you? Narcissistic much, Emma? Told you this role was getting to you!"

Emma grabbed her dance bag and stormed off in a huff, knowing that if she waited another second, she would probably hit Lily again. It wasn't like her to be so quick-tempered, and she knew she needed to vent.

She practically ran the whole way to the diner, rushing inside and heading straight to the back, where she found Ruby waiting for her.

"Emma! What's wrong?" Ruby asked, jumping up.

Emma only then became aware of the hot tears making their way down her cheeks. She  _wasn't_  a crier, and yet she'd cried twice today.

"Ruby, tell me honestly, do you think  _Swan Lake_  has gone to my head?"

Ruby rolled her eyes. "Lily?"

Emma nodded, sniffling as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand.

"Emma, don't listen to her. She's an idiot, and a jealous bitch, and you know it. No, I don't think  _Swan Lake_  has gone to your head. If I did, you know I'd tell you… Well, I mean, I know I keep telling you, but you know I'm joking right? You're, like, the most humble person I know. Seriously."

"Okay," Emma whispered, her voice shaky.

"Em, what else is going on? I know you aren't  _this_ bothered over that. What else did she say?"

Emma swallowed hard. "I, uh, I kind of came out, to Regina today," Emma admitted, biting her bottom lip.

"Oh," Ruby nodded. "She didn't take it well?"

"No! No, nothing like that… she was actually really cool about it. She said she already knew. She guessed it herself, apparently."

"Okay, so what's the issue then?" Ruby asked, furrowing her brow.

"Lily, um, I think she's going to start another rumour. About me and Regina," Emma sighed.

"And, you're worried that even if Regina is cool with it, she won't be so cool with it if everyone thinks she's gay, too?" Ruby guessed.

Emma nodded. "Something like that. I mean, you know I like her, but I'm totally cool knowing that it's not going to go anywhere, you know? I'm okay with being her friend."

"Are you?"

"Well, I mean, it's better than nothing, right? But not I'm afraid Lily's going to ruin that, too. She's not like you and me, Ruby. I don't think she'll just laugh it off and go on with her day. What if it makes her never want to hang out with me again?"

"Emma," Ruby said, seriously, taking her friend by the shoulders. "Why are you here talking to  _me_  about this?"

Emma narrowed her eyes in confusion. "Why wouldn't I be? You're my best friend."

"Yeah, I know. And as your best friend, I've got to be the one to tell you: if you're worried about how Regina is going to react, go talk to Regina. Tell her what's going on so she's not blindsided by this tomorrow."

"But what if-"

"Emma! You know as well as I do that tons of rumours have spread around that studio about Regina, and she survived. They don't seem to faze her. Why would this be any different?"

"Because it is different!" Emma insisted.

"Go talk to Regina," Ruby said, again.

Emma took in a deep breath, trying to find her courage. "Okay," she said finally. "But have consolation ice cream on deck for me just in case I need it, k?"

Ruby rolled her eyes again and smirked. "It will be fine. You won't need ice cream. Now go."

* * *

_Hey, are you busy?_

Emma chewed on her lip nervously as she waited for Regina to answer her text. She was already walking in the direction of Regina's house, which was about a thirty minute walk, but the weather was nice and Mary Margaret believed that Emma had another late private with Neal tonight, so she didn't mind the distance. It gave her time to clear her head.

After about twenty minutes of walking, Regina finally texted back.

_No, why?_

Emma was relieved, as she had started to worry that Regina would never answer, or perhaps wasn't even home, and this walk had been for nothing.

_I need to talk to you. Can I come over?_

Emma glanced up from her phone. She was on Regina's street now, and she could see her house in the distance. She'd never been inside, but she'd gone there numerous times when her mother had to drop things off. Emma always opted to wait in the car, though now she wondered if perhaps she and Regina could have become friends years ago, if she'd actually gone inside.

_Yes. Where are you?_

Emma smiled, even more relieved. She didn't know what she would have done if Regina had said no. Walked back home, she supposed, but she would have felt all the worse for it.

_Walking down your street ;)_

Emma looked up again as she got closer to the house - it was the largest one on Mifflin Street - and a minute later, she saw the front door open, and Regina came out, and started walking toward her. Emma felt a slight pang of nostalgia as she remembered how she and Lily used to meet halfway when they walked to each other's houses, but she pushed that memory down as soon as it came up.

"Hey," Emma said, once Regina was within earshot.

"Hi. Where did you walk here from? The studio?"

Emma shook her head. "Studio to diner. Diner to here," she shrugged, as she finally reached Regina on the sidewalk.

Regina turned and started walking back toward her house with Emma. "Twenty minutes from the studio to the diner, thirty minutes to here… plus you danced all day. Emma, you must be exhausted. Did you eat at least?"

Emma thought back. She'd missed lunch because she was talking to Regina, she'd skipped dinner before production as her nerves were still a mess, and she'd eaten nothing at the diner before coming here. She realized she hadn't eaten a bite since breakfast, fourteen hours ago.

"I'm fine," Emma said, avoiding the question all together. This is what her mother wanted her to do anyway, wasn't it? Reduce her calorie intake? What difference did it make if she only obeyed her mother by accident?

"So, what's going on? You look upset," Regina noted.

"I had another run in with Lily."

"Oh? Did your fist have another run in with her stupid face?"

Emma couldn't help but laugh. "No. I came close though. But, sadly, no."

"Damn. Well, probably for the best, I'm sure," Regina sighed, as they headed up the walkway to her front door. Regina opened the door and Emma followed her inside, taking in the view of the giant house. Her own house was large, but nothing compared to the mansion Regina lived in.

"Mother!" Regina called out, as she led the way up the three stairs into the foyer. "Emma is here! We're going to go up to my room!"

Emma heard Cora call back 'alright' from somewhere down a hallway, before Regina motioned for her to follow her up the stairs.

Emma looked around Regina's room as they stepped inside. It was pristine with white walls and white carpet, and a black and white damask duvet on her queen sized bed, accented with satiny purple throw pillows.

"Come," Regina said, sitting down cross-legged on her bed. She was still in her black dress pants and teal silk shirt, but she looked almost relaxed in this space, more relaxed than Emma had ever seen her.

Emma had just thrown on standard black yoga pants and a white tank, but for once she didn't feel underdressed next to Regina as she took a spot next to her on the bed. She just felt comfortable.

Comfortable. With Regina. On her bed.

Emma bit her lip as she felt her heart start to pound. The comfortable feeling had lasted all of five seconds before the  _I-have-a-giant-crush-on-Regina-Mills_ feeling took over.

"So… what's going on? What did Lily say this time?"

Emma sighed and wrung her hands in her lap. "Uh, you know how Lily likes to spread rumours about me and Neal?"

Regina nodded, slowly. "Yeah. I already told you I don't believe those rumours," she reminded her.

"Yeah, it's not about that. Earlier today, Lily knows I got upset when she said something about you. And she knows that I only got off with a warning from your mother, because of you."

"Okay. So what does that have to do with the rumours?" Regina asked.

"Well, Lily told me, on no uncertain terms, that she now thinks she made a mistake on which child of a studio owner I'm banging - as she so graciously put it," Emma said, looking up to try to gauge Regina's reaction.

Surprisingly, Regina just smirked. "I see. So now she plans on starting rumours about you and I, I assume?"

Emma shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe. I just wanted to give you a heads up, you know? In case she does and it like… bothers you."

"Wouldn't be the first rumour to spread about me," Regina said, nonchalantly.

"Yeah, but, this… it's different."

"Not really," Regina shrugged. "A rumour's a rumour."

"Yeah, but…" Emma stammered. She was starting to feel lightheaded, and having a hard time explaining why  _this_ rumour might be a problem.

"But what?"

"But I like you!" Emma blurted out. Her eyes went wide and she clamped her hand over her mouth, as she realized what she had done.

_Shit. Oh shit oh shit!_

"You like me?" Regina repeated. To her credit, this time she looked surprised. Emma guessed she was good at hiding her crush, at least.

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say that… I mean, not that it's not true, because it is, but I totally get that you're not... I mean, I just want to be your friend, I'm not trying to…" Emma was losing her words, as dizziness was starting to kick in. She guessed she really should have eaten something today.

"Emma, are you okay?"

Regina's voice sounded far away and the room started to get dimmer, and Emma feared she might pass out.

"Emma, lie down," Regina instructed, as she put her hand behind Emma's back and guided her down into a lying position. "I'll be right back."

Emma wiped at her forehead with her hand, feeling the beads of sweat forming there. Something was wrong, and she wondered if she was getting sick. She hoped that maybe this was all a hallucination, and maybe she hadn't just confessed her crush to Regina.

Minutes later, Regina was back. The room still looked dark to Emma, but she could distinctly hear Regina's and Cora's voices.

"She needs to drink this. Help her sit up, Regina."

"Emma." Regina's hands were on her shoulders. "Your blood sugar's crashing. You need to sit up."

With Regina's help, Emma got back into a sitting position, and looked up to where Cora was standing in front of her, holding a glass.

"Apple juice, honey," Cora said, her voice softer than Emma had ever heard it, as she held out the glass. Regina took it, and held it to Emma's lips. Emma drank it, and in a few moments, the room stopped spinning, and the lights seemed to return to normal.

She was instantly aware of how close Regina was at the moment, one arm still firmly around Emma's shoulders, the other hand holding the glass of apple juice in front of her, urging her to take another sip.

Emma drank more, but inwardly, she just wanted to cry. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before, and she was mortified. She'd come here in hopes of having a normal conversation, but instead confessed her crush and nearly passed out.

_God, Emma. Lily's right. You ARE pathetic!_

"Feeling better?"

Emma snapped back into the present at Cora's voice, and she looked up with solemn eyes, and nodded.

"Good," Cora said, taking the now empty glass back from Regina. "Low blood sugar. It causes shakiness, dizziness, and irritability. Try not to let it happened again."

Emma noted that the kindness in Cora's voice had disappeared, and she watched the woman as she turned on her heel and left the room.

"You heard the drill sergeant," Regina said, shaking her head.

Emma stiffened a little, realizing that Regina still had her arm around her. It wasn't that she didn't like it, but she would rather have Regina hold her because she wanted to, not because she thought she might faint.

_Ugh, get it together, Swan!_

"I'm sorry," Emma whispered, her face burning with embarrassment now. She wished a hole would open up in the floor that she could just disappear into.

"Don't be. Come on, I'll drive you home, okay?" Regina said, letting go of Emma's shoulders as she stood. To Emma's surprised, she turned and reached out her hand, to help Emma stand.

"But, what about…"

Regina just smiled. "Listen. I'm going to take you home, and I want you to eat something and get some sleep, okay? And tomorrow, we'll do lunch, and we can talk about whatever you want then, okay?"

Emma nodded as she followed Regina out of her room. She guessed the fact that Regina was still up for lunch with her tomorrow meant she couldn't have been too freaked out about her saying she liked her. That whole time seemed like a distant blur already. Maybe she'd just imagined the whole thing?

No. She was sure she'd said it. She'd said it, and Regina heard it. And they were going to talk about it.

Tomorrow.

* * *

**Things are going to start getting a little hairy for Emma in the next few chapters. I know I've already put a trigger warning, but please just be aware of that, that if you have triggers around food & eating. Emma's not going to have an eating disorder, but she's going to be a little on the cusp of one for a bit, and I don't want to trigger anyone!**


	12. Chapter 12

It was the same as the day before: Regina slipped into Emma's dance class a little before the end and went to stand by Neal, watching the the last few minutes before it was time to break for lunch.

It was the same, and it was very,  _very_  different.

Yesterday, they'd just been new friends who were going to spend a little time together. Today, a weight hung between them. Now, there were secrets exposed and confessions made and rumours flying, just as Emma had feared they would.

But, Regina still came. They hadn't spoken since the night before, save for a late night "good night and sleep well" text from Regina, which Emma hadn't even seen until the morning, but relief washed over Emma when she saw Regina enter the studio and flash her a small smile.

The secrets, the rumours, the confession… they hadn't changed anything. Regina still came to meet her for lunch. To Emma, that was everything.

Emma ignored Lily and everyone as she quickly got changed. She decided against dressing up this time, to avoid adding any fuel to the fire. Regina, of course, was dressed professionally as always in a knee length black pencil skirt and a deep purple blouse, but Emma opted for skinny jeans and a white tank top, her hair still, as always, in a tight bun on the top of her head. No matter what she wore, she knew she always just looked like a dancer.

She dropped her dance bag in a locker, and turned on her heel to leave the change room before anyone else was even finished changing. She was eager to get to Regina, and also  _extremely_  eager to get away from Lily and her bruised jaw.

"Hey," Emma said, more timidly than she had really meant to. Her nerves were still getting the best of her, despite the fact that she had convinced herself that everything was the same. In her gut, she knew that nothing was the same.

"Hi," Regina greeted with a warm smile. "I was just telling Neal you might be late for your next class."

"Why would I be late?" Emma asked, confused.

Neal laughed. "You ask that like you're ever on time," he said, teasingly. She knew she was  _usually_ on time, not that Neal would have ever said a word if she wasn't.

"Because I want to take you out for lunch, and the break they give you is obscenely short," Regina explained.

It was true, and Emma knew she wouldn't fall behind by being late for one class. She could probably miss it all together and be fine, so she smiled and thanked Neal as she followed Regina out of the studio.

"So… where are we going?" Emma asked, as they approached Regina's car. Suddenly she wondered if she was going to be underdressed for wherever Regina had in mind.

"My house," Regina said, as they both got in.

"I thought you were taking me out?" Emma asked, with a mock pout, though she was secretly relieved. At least she wasn't underdressed for lunch at Regina's house, especially since Cora was at the studio and therefore  _not_  at home.

"I am. I'm taking you out of the studio, at least. I thought we could talk with a little bit of privacy."

Emma nodded as Regina headed toward her house. She felt a lump forming in her throat at the realization that Regina didn't want to talk to her with people around, and she suddenly feared her confession from the night before had not been well-received. Perhaps Regina wanted to break it to her privately that she was in no way interested. At all.

Emma wanted to cry. Of  _course_  she wasn't interested. Why would she be. She tried to calm her nerves as Regina pulled into the driveway of her home. She bit on her bottom lip as she followed Regina into her house, worrying it to the point she thought she might actually draw blood.

Regina led the way into the kitchen motioned for Emma to sit at a stool at the island, while she headed for the fridge. "So, I can make sandwiches, or salad, or I have left over lasagna I can heat up," Regina rattled off as she surveyed the contents of her fridge.

"Lasagna sounds good," Emma said, with a small smile. "I'm allowed carbs at lunch."

"You're allowed carbs always," Regina reminded her and she put the lasagna in the microwave.

"Yeah, okay. My mother is making me keep a food journal; another one of Dr. Whale's recommendations," Emma said, rolling her eyes. "I'm just going to write in 'salad' for lunch. Don't rat me out."

"I would never 'rat' you out," Regina said, seriously. When the microwave dinged, she plated the lasagna and handed a plate to Emma before sitting down to join her. "Sorry it's microwave left-overs, but I did cook it the in the first place, if that makes a difference."

Emma just smiled as she bit into the lasagna. It was the first real food she'd had since yesterday at breakfast. She knew that wasn't normal for her, but her mother was watching her like a hawk, and she figured the pressure would ease up when the production was over. She could last until then, she was sure.

"It's good," Emma said, as she stared at her food and not at Regina, unsure of how and when this conversation was supposed to begin. She hoped that Regina would be the one to take the lead, at least.

And thankfully, she did.

"You really scared me last night, you know," Regina said. Emma looked up to find brown eyes boring into her. "I've seen a lot of dancers pass out, but never when I'm alone with them."

"I didn't pass out," Emma said, more defensively than she had meant to. "I just got dizzy. And you took care of me. I never thanked you for that."

"Well, you're welcome."

"I've never had something like that happen to me," Emma confessed, as she pushed her food around on her plate. Suddenly, her nerves were getting the best of her appetite.

"Well, it's been a weird couple of days," Regina acknowledged.

"Yeah, I guess so," Emma said, staring down at the lasagna noodle she was stabbing at repeatedly with her fork. "I mean… I came out to you, and I think I confessed that I have a crush on you. I don't really remember, but if I didn't then, I guess I did now."

"You did. Last night," Regina confirmed. "But that's not what I was referring to. I meant more because you punched Lily."

"I doesn't weird you out that I have a crush on you," Emma asked, looking up again. "No, not really. It took me by surprise last night, but… it doesn't have to change anything, does it? I mean, I like spending time with you, and I don't want to stop that. Unless it's weird for you."

In spite of everything, Emma grinned. "It's not weird."

"Good. Because I think you might be the only sane person in that entire company," Regina said, with an exasperated sigh.

Emma shrugged. "Ruby's cool, too. And Neal has his moments."

"Right, but neither of them are at the production with us, are they? Everyone there is nuts. You and me, we have to stick together."

And Regina was right, as always.

Over the next few weeks, when preparation and rehearsals got more intense, Emma saw exactly what she was talking about. Every time she turned around, another fight was erupting. Egos were soaring, and Emma found that odd, since  _she_  was supposed to be the star, and yet she felt like she was the most laidback dancer in the entire production.

And the production began to take over her life. Lessons were truncated or missed entirely in favour of costume fittings and privates with Kathryn and press conferences and promotional photos. Emma was at least glad she'd finished high school at sixteen, through private tutoring, since she knew there was no way she'd keep up this schedule  _and_  school at the same time.

Days were passing in a blur. Emma was up at the crack of dawn and at the studio, downing one skinny venti latté after another. Most days she missed lunch, and ate little more than a bit of fruit or a protein bar before production started. Rehearsals ran later and later, and by the fourth week, Emma had completely stopped going to Granny's afterwards, since she was rarely out before it closed.

Emma's tight schedule also meant she rarely saw Ruby anymore at all. Days would pass without seeing her, and though it troubled Emma, she knew it wasn't forever. And she was sure her friend would forgive her. At least she hoped she would.

Her only saving grace was that she saw Regina all the time. More and more often, she'd blow off class to hang out with Regina and just talk, about nothing, and everything. She felt a little bad that she was letting Regina take over all of her free time, and neglecting Ruby in the process, but she was sure Ruby understood.  _Swan Lake_  had to come first, right? And Regina was a part of that.

Ruby would just have to understand. And Emma would find out, soon enough.

* * *

On the Monday of the fifth week, Emma ran into Ruby in the hallway. Literally.

"Oh, shit! Rubes, I'm sorry! I didn't even see you!" Emma cried, after they'd collided and Ruby was now sporting a nice latté stain on the front of her leotard.

"Yeah, okay," Ruby replied, curtly.

"Rubes, what the hell? It was an accident!"

"Yeah, well, it must be hard to see the peasants from way up there, isn't it,  _your highness?_ " Ruby spat back.

"Ruby! Oh my God, what is your problem?"

"What is my problem? How about I haven't seen you in over a week. You don't even answer my texts. What, you don't need me now that you have Regina? Is that it? Or am I not good enough to roll with you now that you are a ballerina?"

"I don't get to pick my schedule, you know! I have to do all this stuff. It's not forever. It's just til  _Swan Lake_  is over," Emma insisted.

"You didn't even  _want_  this role, and now you're letting it consume your life. You look like shit, by the way."

"Wow, thanks," Emma said, rolling her eyes.

"I'm not kidding. When was the last time you even ate?"

"I wish people would stop asking me that!  _I'm_ fine! It's not my fault if… it's not…" Emma started to stammer, as she felt herself getting dizzy again. The dizzy spells were becoming more common, but she hadn't had one hit her this hard since that night at Regina's.

"Emma?" It was all Ruby got out before Emma collapsed on her. Ruby caught her easily in her arms and eased her down to sit on the floor, holding her upright with one arm while she fished her water bottle out of her dance bag with the other. "Here, drink this."

Emma did as she was told, and then rested her head on Ruby's shoulder as she blinked her vision back to normal. "Thank you," she whispered, making no attempt to remove herself from her friend's arms.

"You were supposed to talk to me if things got bad," Ruby reminded her. The coldness was gone from her voice, and Emma recognized her friend again. She was sure Ruby was still pissed, and she'd have to figure out how to make this right, but in this moment she knew, Ruby would never abandon her in her time of need.

"I know. And I'm sorry. I am sorry, about everything. This production is taking over my whole life," Emma said, quietly.

Ruby hugged her tighter. "You know you can always quit, right?"

Emma swallowed hard. Quitting was absolutely not an option. It had never even crossed her mind. Emma Swan was no quitter, and besides that, quitting put Lily right next to Daniel on that stage, and she wouldn't do that to Regina.

Also, Emma knew her mother would murder her.

She would just have to start being better. Eating better, being a better friend, managing her time better. If she could be better, then everyone would stop putting this pressure on her. She wanted to cry and tell Ruby everything. She wanted to tell her how hard it was to be around Regina every day and feel the way she felt, knowing Regina only saw her as a friend.

She wanted to tell her how bad the rumours spreading about her and Regina hurt, not because they weren't true, but because she wished they  _were._

She wanted to tell Ruby how hard it was to have her mother monitoring every calorie that entered her mouth and watching every move she made. She wanted to tell her how her feet were purple and bleeding all the time, worse than she'd ever imagined they could be. She wanted to tell her how she was expected to be perfect every time, and how as tensions got higher and patience got thinner, Kathryn yelled at her every time she mistepped and it was getting to her worse than she'd ever imagined criticism could.

She wanted to tell her she'd never felt more inadequate in her entire life. But she didn't tell her any of those things, because Ruby would  _make_  her quit. And she couldn't do that.

So she sighed, and finally spoke. "I can't quit."


	13. Chapter 13

**So, I am officially out of hiatus! Sorry you've had to wait so long for an update, but I had hardcore writer's block, so I had to take a little vacation from writing, but now I'm back and hopefully back on track, so thanks for your patience, everyone!**

* * *

**Chapter 13**

" _I can't quit."_

Ruby sighed as she hugged Emma tighter to her. "You can't go on like this either, you know. What good is being a ballerina if you collapse on stage during the production?"

"I won't collapse. I can eat better, Ruby. I'm just… I don't think about it. I'm too busy," Emma stammered, throwing out excuses and just hoping that one would stick.

"Too busy? Emma, a dancer is an athlete. Do you think football players forget to eat?"

"Do football players have to traipse around in spandex with their bodies on display?" Emma retorted.

"You just forget, huh?"

Emma sighed and shook her head. "I know, I'm screwing up. I will fix it, I promise."

"Don't fix it for me. Fix it for you," Ruby insisted, as she stood up, and then helped Emma to her feet. She reached into her bag and pulled out a protein bar. "Here. Eat this, you need it."

"Thanks Rubes. And hey, maybe this weekend we can hang out? I have all of Saturday off. Kathryn wants to work with Lily all day."

"And Regina?" Ruby asked, raising an eyebrow.

"She'll be here. Just you and me. I promise."

"I'm gonna hold you to that," Ruby vowed.

"I won't fuck up again, I swear."

* * *

"Emma! Emma!" Regina called, the moment Emma stepped into the studio for production that night.

"What's up?" Emma asked, narrowing her eyes a little. Regina didn't normally get this excited about anything, especially not at the studio, so either something was really wrong, or something was really  _really_ awesome.

"The press release gala has been moved up to this Friday," Regina said, but her expression was still unreadable, and Emma wasn't sure if she was happy about this, or not.

"Okay… and?"

"And… I was wondering if you would go with me," Regina said, with a nervous smile.

"I have to go, we all do."

"I  _know_ , I meant can you and me go together? As in show up together and sit at the same table," Regina explained.

Emma raised an eyebrow. "Are you asking me out on a date?"

Regina laughed and shook her head. "It's going to be very awkward with Daniel there, and Lily flaunting around in whatever way too tight, way too revealing dress she procures and…"

"And you don't want to have to face that alone?" Emma suggested, catching on to what Regina was getting at.

"Yes," Regina nodded. "As far as everyone is concerned, Daniel and I are still together, so he can't technically  _go_  with Lily, but she will be there. And I can't go with another guy, but nothing stops me from going with my friend, right? I mean, unless it's too weird for you, because…"

"It's not too weird," Emma insisted. Truthfully, she worried that it might be, but she wasn't about to pass up on the opportunity to spend the entire gala with Regina in any event.

"Great! Thank you Emma!" Regina gushed, before getting called away - like always. Emma watched her head into the office with Cora, before heading over to get ready for production. Momentarily, she wondered what it might be like to go on an  _actual_ date with Regina, but since that was out of the question, she was sure, she guessed she'd just have to settle for the next best thing.

* * *

The days leading to the gala passed in a blur, and before she knew it, Emma was standing in front of the floor length mirror in her bedroom, in a long red satin dress. It had a halter neckline, and the back was completely open. It clung tight to her hips and reached the floor, with a slit up the right side, nearly to the top of her thigh. She had on silver stilettos, and she'd had her hair and make-up done professionally. Her hair, for once, wasn't on the top of her head, but rather in a low chignon accented with red gems on the left side.

Emma had spent most of her life traipsing around in a leotard, but she'd never felt as exposed or insecure as she did in this evening gown. She knew deep down that her body was damn near flawless - though she'd never admit such a thing to anyone else - but right now, she felt like nothing more than a gangly teenager.

But she guessed it didn't matter now. She couldn't back out, as she had to be there for pictures and interviews, and she couldn't let Regina down.

Moments later, she heard the doorbell, and she knew it was go time, regardless of her nerves. David and Mary Margaret were already at the gala, and had been for hours, organizing everything, and now Regina was here to pick her up.

Emma drew in a steadying breath, and made her way carefully down the stairs. She was used pointe shoes, not stilettos, and she was in no way interested in breaking her ankle tonight.

Emma could barely hide her gasp as she pulled open the door and saw Regina. Her dress was satin as well, but strapless and deep purple, with an empire waist. It hung to the floor as well, but was a little looser than Emma's and had no leg revealing slit. Emma was both disappointed and relieved at that, because as much as she would have loved looking at Regina's legs all night, she feared she might actually pass out if she saw that much of them at one time.

Regina had on darker make-up than Emma had ever seen, and it made her look a few years older than eighteen, and all the more alluring. Her hair was in a curly updo, a little higher on her head than Emma's, and her dark tresses shined.

Emma was mesmerized.

"How do I look?" Regina asked, giving a small mock curtsey.

"I, uh, wow," Emma stammered, well aware of how ridiculous she sounded, but past the point of caring at this particular moment.

Regina smiled. "You look amazing," she said, saving Emma from tripping over any more of her own words. "Shall we?"

Emma nodded and followed Regina out to her car. It seemed like a lifetime ago, the first time she'd ridden in Regina's car, but at the same time, it felt like it was yesterday. Emma tried to stop herself from imagining that this was a real date.

"This gala is going to be so lame," Regina said, breaking Emma from her train of thought.

Emma actually laughed. "Lame? That's the last thing I expected to hear you say," Emma admitted. "But, yeah, I'm sure it will be. Maybe we can get Neal to sneak us some alcohol and we can get trashed."

Regina's eyes widened in shock. "You don't do that, do you?" she gasped.

"Get trashed? No. But I can usually sneak a glass of wine or two at things like this," Emma grinned.

"You're seventeen!"

"I know," Emma laughed again. "But, come on, I'm not a typical seventeen-year-old and you know it."

"But still…"

"Regina Mills, have you never drank before?" Emma asked.

"No," Regina admitted. "All things considered, I think we can both admit that my mother is exponentially more terrifying than yours is. She would quite literally murder me."

"Old enough to get married, but not old enough for a glass of vino?" Emma teased.

Regina shrugged as they pulled up in front of the banquet hall. "That's my mother for you. We're here. Ready?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," Emma smirked. Regina handed her keys to the valet as they both got out of the car. Within moments, there was a photographer snapping Emma's picture.

"Shit, I feel like a celebrity," Emma mumbled to Regina as they made their way inside. Sometimes she tried to downplay what a big deal this production really was, but her own mother really had pulled out all the stops when it came to promoting the show, and Emma as the star.

"Don't let it get to your head, Ingénue," Regina teased. "Ruby will kill you."

Emma smiled. As crazy as she knew this night would probably be, she at least knew she had tomorrow off, and she and Ruby had plans to veg out and watch Netflix all day. It would be nice to have a dose of reality when this night was over.

The next two hours was a whirlwind of photos and interviews and agents approaching Emma. Despite Regina's fears, Daniel was likewise preoccupied, but she stuck with Emma throughout the evening none-the-less.

"You know, way back at the beginning of all of this, you were worried rumours would spread about me and Daniel," Emma commented, when they finally got a moment alone, "but in reality, it's rumours about me and you. Being my shadow all night probably isn't going to help dispel any of those, you know."

"You want me to leave you alone?" Regina asked, taken slightly aback.

"Not at all. I'm just saying," Emma smirked.

"Look at Lily," Regina scoffed, as Lily came into her line of view again. Emma turned to see her wearing a tight velvety green dress, strapless and cut to just above the knee. Her legs went on for days, and instantly, Emma felt a small pang of jealousy for that. She forced herself to push that thought back, and turned back to Regina.

"You're still prettier than her," Emma smiled.

"I never get bored of hearing that," Regina laughed.

"So… I'm done with all my interviews for the evening. What do you say we go find Neal and get some wine?"

Regina rolled her eyes, but kept smiling. "If you're sure we won't get caught."

Emma shrugged. "Haven't yet."

* * *

Forty five minutes later, after having to stop and talk to both Mary Margaret  _and_ Cora, and one more agent, Emma and Regina were finally outside in a gazebo in the courtyard behind the banquet hall, with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

"So, this night wasn't as bad as you thought, was it?" Emma asked, as she handed Regina a glass of wine before pouring her own.

"Actually, no, but I'm still glad you and I came here together, regardless," Regina admitted, as she slipped at the wine.

"Me too. Now it's time to get drunk and make out," Emma giggled.

Regina's eyes went wide. "What?" she gasped.

"Kidding! Sorry, sometimes I forget you're not Ruby. Seriously, you need to learn to relax a bit though," Emma sighed.

The two sat and talked about all the interviewers and agents Emma had met, and before either of them knew it, another forty five minutes had passed, as well as two glasses of wine each.

And Emma could already tell as Regina started her third, that it was hitting her hard.

"Shit, Regina, slow down, you drove here, remember?" Emma said, taking the glass from her hand.

"I'm fine," Regina said, with an almost sleepy smile.

"Yeah?" Emma grinned. "Your constant swaying back and forth says otherwise."

"Emma… can I tell you something?" Regina asked, her face suddenly becoming serious.

"Yeah, of course."

"I, um… I don't know how to tell you this, but… I think I like you. I mean.. I'm not… I'm not…" Regina sighed before continuing. "I think I'm developing a crush."

Emma laughed out loud. "I think you're drunk."

"No, Emma, listen… this… this is something that I've been thinking about for a while, I just didn't know if I should tell you, because… well, in case I'm just confused and mixing up friendship with something else. I don't want to hurt you."

"I know. But you're still pretty buzzed. How about we talk about this when you're completely sober?"

"Okay," Regina agreed. "Should we go inside? I think we've been out here for a long time."

"Yeah, we have. And yeah, I think we should. Try to act discreet, okay? And avoid your mother at all costs!"

Regina grinned and nodded as she stood on wobbly feet. But Emma barely noticed Regina's swaying as she stood, and that now familiar light-headedness hit her fast.

_Shit! Shit! Shit!_

She dropped the half full wine glass in her and, and it smashed to the ground below her as she grabbed onto a post in the gazebo, attempting to steady herself as everything around her began to spin.

"Emma?"

Regina's voice sounded echoey and far away, despite the fact that she was right in front of Emma, and in an instant, everything went black.

* * *

**For those who have asked for Regina's POV, that will be coming in the next chapter :) :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Alright, here you go! Regina's POV :)**

* * *

**Chapter 14**

* * *

"Emma?" Regina asked, suddenly panicked as she watched Emma drop her wine glass, and grab onto a post for support. She looked liked she was about to take a header, and Regina reached out for her just in time to catch the blonde and she collapsed.

"Emma!" Regina cried again, lowering slowly to the ground, with Emma's now limp body in her arms. She was careful to avoid the broken glass as she laid Emma down on her back, and frantically shook her shoulders, trying to wake her.

It was no use. Emma was out cold.

"Shit!" Regina said, her voice a full octave higher than normal. She looked around quickly but there was still no one outside. She didn't want to leave Emma, but she didn't have her phone on her and she couldn't very well  _not_  go get help.

"Emma," she said, leaning in close to her ear, "I'll be right back. I'm going to get help."

Regina bit her lip, looking for any sign at all that Emma had heard her, but nothing was registering. She was breathing at least, Regina had been sure to check that, before racing off into the banquet hall again.

"Mother!" Regina cried, pushing her way through the throngs of people. Had she been thinking straight, Cora likely would not have been her first choice of people to go to for help, but when she entered panic mode, her mother was the only person she could think of. "Mother!"

Regina spotted Cora across the room, speaking to Mr. Gold and Neal, and she took off like a rocket, colliding with a server along the way and barely paying him any mind. She didn't even really notice, but Cora did.

"Regina Mills!" Cora snapped, as Regina approached. "What in Heaven's name has gotten into you? We are at a professional  _gala_." The way Cora leaned in and nearly whispered the last few words would normally be enough to snap Regina out of whatever she was doing to upset her mother at the moment, but right now, all she could think of was Emma.

"Emma! She passed out. She won't wake up!" Regina explained quickly, her eyes darting between Cora and Neal.

"Where is she?" Neal asked, before Cora could even react.

"Outside," Regina said, ushering for Neal to follow as she led the way back to the gazebo. She overheard her mother tell Mr. Gold to find Mary Margaret, before Cora followed behind them, too.

Regina made a mad dash back to the gazebo, where Emma was still unconscious. "This has never happened before," Regina explained, dropping to her knees beside Emma and reaching out to cup her face. "She gets lightheaded because she doesn't eat enough. I keep getting after her, and so does Ruby, and she swore she'd been eating better…"

"You two were drinking," Cora commented, noting the wine bottle.

Regina noticed Neal avoid her gaze, but she guessed her mother was already well aware of who snuck them the bottle.

"Back up, Regina," Neal said, reaching down to lift Emma up in his arms. Regina stood beside him, placing her hand on Emma's head, wanting to offer whatever comfort she could, even if Emma had no idea she was there.

As they turned to head back to the banquet hall, Regina saw Mary Margaret frantically running toward them now.

"Regina, call an ambulance," Cora instructed, handing Regina her phone and she stepped over to speak to the quite clearly panicking Mary Margaret. Regina watched the scene unfold before her as she spoke to the 911 dispatcher, noting how everyone seemed to be pushing her away from Emma, when she was she sure she was the one who was the  _most_  worried about her.

Regina stood next to Neal as he continued to hold Emma until the ambulance arrive. "I want to go with her," Regina informed her mother, as the paramedics got Emma onto the stretcher and into the back of the ambulance.

"Her mother will go with her," Cora informed her. "You've been drinking, so you will not be driving. And I cannot leave the gala. I need to go inside and do some damage control, lest anyone saw this."

Regina was about to protest, when Neal grabbed her shoulder and led her away, as Cora turned to head inside. "Come on, I'll drive you to the hospital."

Regina said nothing as she got into Neal's car with him. She'd known him as long as she could remember, though he was much older than her, but they'd never really been friends. They just both happened to be children of the co-owners of the dance company. But she knew that Neal was close to Emma, and in this moment, she was grateful that he was there.

"She's gonna be fine, Regina," Neal commented, as they drove. "Emma's a scrapper. Toughest girl I know, and she always has been."

Regina shook her head, not quite so sure. "She's not healthy, Neal. She doesn't eat, she barely sleeps…"

"She  _will_  be fine, Regina," Neal said, again. "She will."

* * *

Regina paced the hallway, waiting for the doctor to come out of Emma's room and tell them what was going on.

"Sit down, Regina, you're making everyone nervous," Mary Margaret commented, as she sat chewing on her nail, watching the door.

"I can't sit still when I'm worried," Regina insisted. "And you-"

Neal chose that moment to stand up from where he was sitting next to Mary Margaret and David, who'd followed behind in his car as soon as Gold had located him in the gala, and cut Regina off before she could shoot an accusation at Mary Margaret.

"Come on, Regina, let's take a walk," he said, leading her away by the arm.

"You know what I was going to say to her, don't you?" Regina asked, once they were out of earshot.

"I can take a guess."

"It's her fault. Emma was already underweight and her mother kept pushing her and pushing her," Regina insisted.

"Everyone's been pushing her, Regina, since day one. It was going to come to a head, eventually. Why do you think I give her special treatment? I know everyone thinks it's some unrequited crush, but Ruby and I, we do whatever we can to keep Emma sane in this environment. Talent like hers doesn't come along often, and everyone is quick to exploit that, including her mother."

Regina let out a sigh, as she thought back to how cold she'd been to Emma during the casting phase of the production. She'd always seen her as flawless, and if she was being honest with herself, she'd always been more than just a little jealous. Cora had wanted to raise a dancer, and she'd often criticized Mary Margaret, by telling Regina what she would have done differently if Emma had been her daughter.

On the surface, Regina had always known the comments were  _meant_  to be about Mary Margaret, but Regina could never shake the idea that her mother wished Emma was her daughter instead. She'd been a prodigy from the start, whereas Regina couldn't dance to save her life.

So Regina had picked on Emma, right from the beginning, and she'd expected her to get upset. She'd  _wanted_  her to get upset, but Emma had held her own. Given what everyone seemed to think of Regina's position in this company, most dancers would all but bow down to her at all times. But Emma was different. She didn't see Regina as a ticket to stardom, she saw her as a  _person_.

And now Regina badly wanted to tell Emma all this, but she was unconscious and Regina was terrified.

"You know she likes you," Neal commented, assessing Regina's reaction to his statement.

"She told you that?"

"No. It's obvious. I tease her a little about it. I told her you have a thing for blondes."

Regina couldn't help but smile at that one. "I told her she got the part because Daniel doesn't like blondes," Regina confessed. "In the beginning, I mean, that's what I told her."

"Does she know about Daniel and Lily?" Neal asked. Neal had been one of the very few people in the company allowed to be privy to the situation, though at this point, Daniel was barely even an afterthought in Regina's mind anymore. She didn't care about Daniel or Lily or who knew what, she only cared if Emma was going to be okay.

"Yes," Regina said, "I told her."

Neal nodded, and glanced down the hall. Regina followed his gaze and saw that the doctor was now talking to Mary Margaret.

"Let's go back," Regina insisted, heading back down the hall before Neal could say a word.

After Regina approached, the doctor informed them all that Emma had passed out do to her blood pressure crashing, which was a direct result of not eating and overworking herself, and that she had regained consciousness but was resting now.

After a brief visit to her sleeping daughter, Mary Margaret informed the rest that she would have to return to the gala and aid Cora with damage control. Regina bit her lip to keep herself from tearing a strip off of her, as Neal offered to drive Mary Margaret back, so David could stay with Emma.

"Do you want a ride back with us, Regina?" Neal asked.

Regina shot a hopeful look to David. "I was kind of hoping I could stay here."

David nodded. "It's alright with me. I think Emma would like it if you're here when she wakes up."

Regina followed David into the room, where he stepped over and kissed his daughter lightly on the forehead, before sitting down in the only chair in the room. Regina hesitated for a moment, and then sat down on the edge of Emma's bed, by her hips, and began to run her fingers through her soft blonde hair.

Emma looked so calm and peaceful as she slept, but it wasn't hard to see how weary her body had really become. She hid the signs well with make-up and caffeine, but here, she just looked frail, and Regina wanted to cry.

After a while of sitting in silence, Regina glanced over and noticed that David had dozed off, so she took that opportunity to lie down next to Emma on her bed, and whisper in her ear.

"Emma, I'm so glad you're okay. You scared me a lot, you know. I don't know what I would have done if something worse had happened tonight."

Regina swallowed hard at the thought, as Emma cracked one eye open to peer at her. "Hey," Emma whispered.

"Oh, I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay. I'm glad you're here."

Regina smiled, as Emma opened her other eye to look into her own. "I'm glad  _you're_  here. Well, not  _here,_ I mean… I'm glad you're okay."

Emma let out a small laugh and shook her head. "Thanks for saving my life."

"I hardly saved your life," Regina insisted.

"Yes you did. In my mind you did. My hero."

This time Regina had to laugh. "My mother might kill both of us in the long run, but at least we're safe right now."

Emma nodded, and reached out to take Regina's hand. "I'm so sleepy. Will you stay here with me?"

"Of course."

* * *


	15. Chapter 15

A little after 2am, Regina was awoken by Emma squirming in the hospital bed next to her. She opened her eyes, and found Emma with her neck craned, looking over her, and across the room.

"Emma, what's wrong?" Regina asked, snapping Emma's attention back to her.

"Where'd my dad go?"

"He went home about an hour after you fell asleep. He couldn't sleep in that chair, and I said I would stay the night with you. He's coming back in the morning," Regina explained.

Emma nodded and let her head fall back on the pillow. "Thanks for staying with me."

"Of course. Where else would I be?"

"Well, I mean, my mother's not even here," Emma said, biting on her bottom lip and looking away, hoping not to reveal how much her mother's absence was actually hurting her.

"I know," Regina said, softly. "I don't think she realizes how serious any of this is. No one did, and Emma… I'm sorry. I should have been paying more attention."

"It's not your fault. I wasn't exactly yelling for help. I just… I just thought I could do it all, you know? I thought I could be this person, this perfect dancer who does it all, but I'm not here. I'm just me."

"That's all you need to be, Emma."

Emma wiped at the tears that were starting to fall now, before looking back at Regina with wide, serious eyes. "Would it be weird if I asked you to hold me?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

"No," Regina smiled, reaching out and pulling Emma into her arms. Emma sighed in relief, and let her head fall against Regina's chest, before closing her eyes and relaxing against her.

"A couple months ago, I didn't think you even knew who I was," Emma confessed, almost smiling at the memory. "I practically worshipped you, and I didn't think you even knew my name. Who could have guessed that something like this would happen, and you would be the only one here?"

"Ruby was here earlier," Regina informed her, "She stopped by while you were sleeping. And, for the record, I always knew your name."

"No comment on the worshipping thing?"

Regina let out a small laugh. "Well, you weren't exactly subtle, you know. Unfortunately, by the time I even noticed, I was already taken."

"You're not taken now," Emma pointed out, sleepily.

"No, I'm not," Regina agreed. She waited for Emma to say something else, but the room fell silent, and she realized Emma was asleep again. She wondered if Emma would even remember this conversation in the morning, as she lifted her hand to stroke Emma's hair. The nurses had taken out the bobby pins so Emma could rest comfortably, and Regina realized this was the first time she'd ever seen her with her hair down.

In her sleep, Emma looked so free, and so  _care_ free, so peaceful. Regina thought back to the night they'd gone to the clock tower, when she'd all but abducted Emma in the middle of the night, and Emma hadn't even protested, despite the fact that they'd barely known each other then. Regina was already well aware of Emma's crush at that point, and she'd assumed it was the crush that had driven Emma to go with her, without question.

Now, however, the was thinking about something Emma had said that night:  _I may be a dancer, but I don't belong to that world anymore than you do_.

Regina had thought it ridiculous at the time, because Emma was a natural, and she'd guessed she was just downplaying her ability to make Regina feel better. Now, however, Regina could see that none of this came naturally to Emma, and the proof was in the IV's and heart monitors she was now attached to.

_Dance is just what I do, it's not who I am._

Regina heard Emma's words in her head, and it occurred to her that in all this time, she had still never actually learned who exactly Emma was. She hadn't realized it, but even though they'd grown close, and spent countless hours together, when Regina looked at her, all she saw was a dancer.

That was all anyone seemed to see in Emma, save for perhaps Ruby, but Ruby had become an outsider in Emma's life, and the people closest to her had let her down.

Despite the fact that she was holding her sleeping form at that exact moment, Regina realized she had to add herself to the list of people who let Emma down. And she vowed that it wouldn't happen again. She was going to make things right and protect Emma, because lord knows the girl needed it.

And Regina wanted her to be happy, and healthy.

Regina drew in a sharp breath, and hugged Emma closer, as a realization swept over her. She wanted Emma to be happy and healthy, not just because Emma was her only friend, but because she was falling in love with her.

* * *

Regina woke again before Emma, and blinked rapidly at the light pouring in from the window across from her. It was actually morning now, and Regina could hear voices outside the door. She turned her head to see Mary Margaret and David through the window, speaking to Emma's doctor right outside the door.

Regina slid her arm loose from under Emma carefully, and silently got up from the bed, tiptoeing across the room to the door. It creaked slightly when she opened it, but Emma didn't stir.

"Regina," David greeted, looking past her through the window of Emma's door at his sleeping daughter.

"She's still out," Regina said, answering his unanswered question. "She woke up once in the night and talked a bit, but she's been out since then."

"Good, well, she's going home today, so you're free to go, Regina," Mary Margaret said, barely glancing at Regina.

"With all due respect, Mrs. Nolan, I would prefer to stay. Emma asked me to," Regina replied, crossing her arms like she would when she attempted to take a stance against her own mother.

"Yes, well, Regina, Emma needs to rest and you are needed back at the studio today," Mary Margaret replied, turning to look pointedly at Regina this time. "And frankly, I'm not so sure you're a good influence on Emma, to be completely honest."

"Excuse me?" Regina shot back, her eyes wide at the complete shock of the accusation. David took that moment to excuse himself and head into Emma's room, as the doctor set off to continue his rounds, leaving the two women alone in the hallway.

"These issues didn't start until Emma started hanging around with you," Mary Margaret replied, haughtily.

"These  _issues_  are directly correlated to the idiotic diet you have Emma on. She was already underweight by the company's requirements and you made her obsess over her diet anyway, so she stopped eating. This isn't on me."

"How dare you!  _I_  sacrificed  _everything_  for Emma! How dare you accuse me of harming my daughter," Mary Margaret spat back.

"You sacrificed everything for her, but did it ever occur to you that this isn't what she wants?" Regina asked, forcing herself to remain calm. She'd acquired this tactic ages ago, as she learned how to derail a Cora rampage before it started, and she found it seemed to apply to other people and situations as well.

"And I suppose you think you know what she wants? You don't even know what  _you_ want. Don't think your mother hasn't given me an earful about your lack of direction in life."

"This isn't about me. And no, I don't know what Emma wants. But I know what she  _doesn't_  want."

"And what's that?"

Regina rolled her eyes and shook her head. "Why don't you talk to your daughter?"

Mary Margaret stiffened, and glanced through the window to Emma's room, where Emma was just starting to stir, before turning back to Regina. "Go home, Regina. Your mother is expecting you at the studio. When you're done there, you can come over and see Emma, if she's awake."

Regina sighed, and took a final look at Emma in the bed. She wasn't quite awake, and Regina guessed she probably should let her parents spend some time alone with her. "Fine," she agreed, somewhat reluctantly still. "Please tell her I said goodbye, and that I'll be over the second I'm done at the studio."

Mary Margaret nodded, and turned to head into Emma's room. "Hi, baby," she said, smiling as Emma opened her eyes. David helped her prop herself up on some pillows so she could sit somewhat upright, as Emma's watery green eyes scanned the room.

"Where's Regina?" she asked, sounding almost panicked.

"She went back to the studio, honey, but she's coming to the house as soon as she's done there. The doctor will be in in about an hour to discharge you."

Emma sighed and nodded, looking more than a little dejected.

"David," Mary Margaret said, turning to her husband, "can you give Emma and I a few minutes alone?"

David nodded, and leaned in to give Emma a kiss on the cheek, promising he'd be right back before he turned and left the room.

Emma stared up at her mother, a little worried and confused, fully expecting a lecture on her poor choices that had landed her here.

But the lecture never came.

Instead, Mary Margaret sat down on the edge of Emma's bed and took her daughter's hand in hers, looking at her now with concern in her eyes. Emma hadn't seen that look on her mother's face since she was ten and had come down with appendicitis and had had to spend three days in the hospital.

"Mom?" she asked, nervously.

Mary Margaret sighed. "I had an interesting conversation with Regina this morning. I blamed her for all of this, but it's not really her fault at all, is it?"

Emma shook her head. "No."

"And it's not yours, either. It's mine, and Emma, I'm so sorry."

Emma swallowed hard. She hadn't expected this, and she was speechless, to say the least.

"I fully intended to come in here and lecture you, and when Regina had the audacity to tell me this was my fault, I wanted to slap her. But she was right, and Emma, looking at you right now, I…" Mary Margaret paused, looking up at the ceiling for a moment, trying to fight back the tears now burning at the corners of her eyes.

"Right now you what?" Emma prompted. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a heartfelt conversation with her mother, and she wasn't about to let it end abruptly.

Mary Margaret sighed again, turning her eyes back to Emma. "You were two years old when you started dancing, Emma, and everyone swore you were a prodigy, and baby, they were right. I know how crazy the dance world is, and I promised myself that no matter what, you would always be my daughter first, and a dancer second. Somewhere along the way, those positions got switched and I didn't even notice. But this isn't some ballerina I'm looking at, laying in a hospital bed, this is my little girl, and I failed you, Emma."

Emma pulled herself up into her mother's arms as Mary Margaret's tears started to flow. Mary Margaret held her close, rubbing her back and stroking her hair like she did when Emma was a child. Emma had forgotten how much she missed this; how much she missed having a  _mother_  and not a manager.

"Mom, I want to quit  _Swan Lake_ ," Emma whispered into Mary Margaret's ear.

Mary Margaret stiffened, and Emma wondered if she'd just pushed her luck too far. She felt her mother's hands leave her back, and reach up to cup her face, pushing her back slightly so that their eyes met.

"Because of this?" Mary Margaret asked.

Emma hesitated, and shook her head. "Because I hate it. I've wanted to quit since I started but I couldn't. This isn't what I want. Just because I'm good at it, doesn't mean it makes me happy."

Mary Margaret studied her daughter's face for a moment, before smiling. "All I want is for you to be happy, and if this is what it takes, then this is what you should do."

Emma nodded, before tears sprung from her eyes, at the realization that she was about to give up everything she'd worked for, her whole life. "I don't know what I should do," she confessed, falling into her mother's arms again.

"You don't have to decide right now. We'll go home, and you can think about it, and Emma, whatever you decide, I'm going to support you in it, okay?"

"Thanks, Mom."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

* * *

 

By midafternoon, Emma was bored out of her mind from the doctor mandated bedrest she was on. She had sent dozens of texts to Regina, Ruby and even Neal, in an attempt to alleviate her boredom, but apparently everyone was too busy for their bedridden friend.

Assholes.

Emma scowled down at her phone, and shot another text to Ruby.

Come over and bring me food, bitch.

She hesitated, and deleted the ‘bitch’, replacing it with ‘please’ before hitting send. She wasn’t exactly sure where she stood at the moment, and she didn’t want to make things worse between them.

To her relief, this one actually received a response.

Holy hell, 15 messages? And a PLEASE? wtf WHO ARE YOU? And I’m on my way

Emma smiled, proud in her victory. Technically, she and Ruby were supposed to be hanging out today, anyway, but Ruby had been stuck with an extra shift at the diner when someone called out, and Emma guessed she’d have to forgive her friend this transgression, considering the number of times she’d bailed on her in recent history.

Twenty minutes later, Ruby was entering Emma’s bedroom with a take-out bag from Granny’s.

“That was fast,” Emma grinned, as she scooted over and made room for Ruby to crawl into bed next to her.

“I already had it ready before you even asked, your highness,” Ruby grinned.

Emma worried her bottom lip as she pulled the bag open. “Speaking of ‘your highness’,” she said, looking at the food rather than at Ruby, “I told my mom today that I want to quit the production.”

“What? Emma, oh my God, what did she say?”

Emma shrugged, looking back at Ruby with a small smile. “She’s okay with it, actually. Apparently Regina laid into her a bit this morning, and told her all of this is her fault. It’s not entirely her fault, but, I mean, she did a complete one-eighty.”

“Regina,” Ruby repeated. “I saw her at the hospital last night. Did she tell you I was there?”

“Yeah, she said you stopped by when I was still sleeping.”

“Yeah. You know, Emma, you spent all this time trying to convince me she wasn’t as bad as I thought, and honestly, I thought you were on crack to see anything good about her, but last night… she looked so genuinely worried about you. Like, you can’t fake that shit.”

“Ruby Lucas, are you trying to admit you were wrong?” Emma chided, unable to hide her grin as she bit into an onion ring. Momentarily, she was too distracted by the wonderfully greasy goodness of the food she’d missed most to even catch the sheepish look on Ruby’s face.

“I guess I am. We talked a little bit last night. She’s not the devil incarnate, or whatever I said she was. But I’m still not happy that you replaced me with her.”

“Rubes, I could never replace you with anyone. Ever. I’ve been a shitty friend the last few weeks. Thanks for sticking around.”

Ruby smiled and put her arm around Emma’s shoulders. “You couldn’t lose me if you tried. And you tried damn hard, I might remind you. I’m just glad you’re okay. So, tell me more about your mom?”

Emma shrugged again, shaking her head like she still didn’t believe it herself. In a way, she almost didn’t. “I guess… seeing me in the hospital with IVs and stuff snapped her out of it. She said I was always supposed to be her daughter first, and a dancer second, but look what dance did to me… she might be a crazy dance mom but she’s still a mom, you know? No one wants to see their kid suffer.”

“True. I’m still in shock, though. I mean, dance is her whole life. If you quit, what’s she gonna do?”

“I’m not quitting dance forever… just maybe this show. Maybe I won’t be a prima ballerina, but maybe that’s okay? And her life doesn’t have to change, she can still do all the same shit she does for that company.”

Ruby smiled, squeezing Emma a little tighter. “Emma Swan, back to the dregs of the dance world with the rest of us,” she teased. “It’ll be good to have my best friend back, at least.”

“Emma Swan, a starlet that burned too brightly,” Emma said, grinning, “too pure for this world. Burned out before her time.”

“Okay, let’s not get so dramatic, princess.”

Emma just smiled, and snuggled into Ruby’s arms as she continued eating her onion rings. She’d had to agree to enter therapy when she left the hospital, to deal with her food issues, but she was fairly certain it wasn’t so much a food issue, as a Swan Lake issue, and with that pressure off her shoulders, she was convinced she’d be better in no time.

Especially if Ruby kept bringing her food.

 

* * *

 

It was well after 8pm before Regina made it to Emma’s house. Mary Margaret had made it very clear that if Emma was asleep, she’d be sending Regina home, and she could come back tomorrow, but Emma was having none of that. She squeezed in a two hour nap after Ruby had left, and then kept herself awake trying to catch up on old seasons of How I Met Your Mother on Netflix in the den until Regina arrived.

“Am I interrupting?”

Emma spun around and grinned as Regina entered the den, with her hands behind her back. She shook her head and flicked off the TV. “I don’t get time for TV, ya know? Just getting caught up with the real world. What’s behind your back? A present for me?”

Regina laughed as Emma wiggled her eyebrows at her. “You look like you’re feeling better,” she commented, and she pulled her hands from behind her back and revealed a large stuffed teddy bear with a big yellow bow tied around his neck. “I hope you don’t think this is corny.”

Emma laughed and took the teddy bear in her arms, squeezing it tight as Regina joined her on the couch. “Not at all. I love him.”

“So, I talked to your mother on the way in. She actually apologized to me for this morning. I assume she told you we had words?”

Emma laughed and nodded. “I heard something along those lines. What about your mother? I’m sure she had lots to say.”

Regina sighed. “Oh yes, that’s all I heard about all day. She’s freaking out about if you’re going to be able to finish the production, and if she’ll have to bump Lily up and find her an understudy this late in the game.”

Emma pursed her lips and looked away from Regina, focusing on the wall across from her, squeezing the teddy bear closer to her. She hadn’t really considered what Cora’s reaction would be if she actually left the production. Maybe she could send her mother in to tell her, and then just never return to the studio again.

That was a rational plan, wasn’t it?

For her part, Regina seemed to pick up on Emma’s change in mood. “You’re quitting, aren’t you?”

Emma nodded, slowly, before turning to Regina with wide eyes. “I never even wanted to do this in the first place.”

“So why did you audition? Just because your mother made you?”

“Partially,” Emma admitted. “But you want to know the honest truth? I really just wanted you to watch me dance.”

“You say that like I haven’t watched you dance my whole life.”

“Well, I never knew you were watching. I was so damn nervous for that audition though, and you staring at me without writing anything didn’t help, you know,” Emma pointed out.

Regina shrugged. “I didn’t need to write anything. I already knew I was going to pick you, before you ever danced. I knew my mother was going to try to write you off the moment you fell, though. That’s why I wanted you to do the fouettes, to remind her how good you are.”

“Hmm, well I appreciate the gesture. Sorry I wasted your time, though, since I won’t be dancing the part,” Emma said, picking absently at imaginary lint on her teddy bear’s furry head.

“You didn’t. We became friends, and…” Regina bit her lip awkwardly as her voice trailed off.

Emma glanced at her, recognizing her nervousness, but if she didn’t let her mother off the hook for a heartfelt confession, she wasn’t about to let Regina off the hook, either. “And?”

Regina swallowed hard, trying to regain her confidence. She wasn’t usually a nervous person, but now she could suddenly see why Emma always got so flustered around her, since she was now getting just as flustered around Emma. And she knew it could only mean one thing.

“And,” Regina said, turning to meet Emma’s eyes. “I think maybe we could be more than friends.”

Emma felt her heart skip a beat. She’d wanted a heartfelt confession, but she hadn’t expected this. Maybe and… thanks for helping me get over my douchebag ex, or and… we can still be friends even if you quit the production.

She guessed maybe Regina wasn’t as drunk as she thought she was last night when she’d confessed her own crush. Maybe seeing Emma sick in the hospital had effects on more people than just her mother.

“You better not be fucking with me,” Emma said, finally, “because I’ll kill you.”

“Romantic,” Regina scoffed, teasingly, “you tell me if I’m serious.”

Before Emma could react, Regina reached up to cup her face in her hand, before leaning in to press her soft lips against Emma’s. For a moment, Emma was too surprised to even react, but once she got past the initial shock, she smiled into Regina’s lips before kissing her back.

The kiss was chaste, but Emma was okay with that, because anything else might have given her a heart attack, the way her heart was threatening to beat straight out of her chest already. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach the way they had the first time she had really seen Regina - the first time she’d looked at her and realized she liked her. The feeling was back and it both terrified and excited her, and she realized this thrill made everything else leading up to it, worth it.

Regina kept her hand on Emma’s cheek, even as she finally broke off the kiss and pulled back, to look into Emma’s wide green eyes, licking her lips and waiting to see how Emma would react.

“That was…” Emma said, her voice a little breathy, “unexpected.”

“Unexpected?” Regina repeated, looking at little dejected.

Emma smiled. “That was everything I thought it would be,” she amended, and leaned forward to kiss Regina again.

As their lips met again, Emma realized that for the first time in her life, she actually felt like she belonged, not to Regina, but with Regina, and she couldn’t help but wonder if Regina felt the same. Regina had told her she just wanted to belong to something, but she wondered if with someone would suffice? In Emma’s mind, it was a million times better.

Regina smiled as they broke off their second kiss, stroking her thumb over Emma’s cheek.

“Was that everything you thought it would be?” Emma asked, grinning, as she still held tight to the teddy bear.

“It was… everything I never knew I wanted or needed in my life. You are everything I never knew I wanted or needed in my life, Emma. It was never… I never got butterflies like this with Daniel. This is...”

“Yeah,” Emma grinned, nodding. “It is.”

“My mother’s going to kill me, you know.”

Emma shrugged. “Well, not right away, she won’t. We don’t have to come out til the production’s over anyway, right? Keep up the illusion that you and Daniel are still together?”

“Maybe we can show up as a couple on opening night?” Regina suggested.

“There’s no way in hell I’m showing up on opening night unless you’re with me,” Emma agreed.

“Well, then it’s a date.”


	17. Chapter 17

* * *

****Two months later:** **

* * *

Emma stood, studying her appearance in her full length mirror. She wore a red dress, tight in the bodice, to her waist, and then fanning out a bit, cut just above her knees. It was cute, she thought, but she hoped not _too_ cute. She wanted to look a little sexy, too.

Her hair was in loose curls, falling down her back. Regina liked her hair down, and Emma had no reason to put it up tonight.

Tonight, of all nights, she wanted nothing more than to forget she was a dancer, if only for a couple hours.

After getting home from the hospital, It had taken Emma three full days to muster up the courage to tell Cora she was quitting the production. She'd marched right into her office, and upon finding it mercifully empty,she'd _boldly_ put that typed letter in the manila envelope right there on her desk, before promptly fleeing the building.

It had helped that Regina had informed her of the _exact_ time Cora would be out of the office in a shareholder's meeting, but was beside the point.

Cora, thankfully, had decided to call Mary Margaret and tear a strip off of her, rather than calling Emma directly. Emma waited two weeks before returning to her classes, claiming it was the doctor's orders, but she guessed Cora was probably a least a tiny bit suspicious that she was being a giant chicken shit.

She didn't care.

By the time she'd returned, it was almost like she'd never even had a place in the production to start with. She knew the dance world was fickle, and people moved on quickly. This time, that was her saving grace, she realized. Lily had taken her place as the lead in the production, another impossibly tall blonde that Emma barely knew had taken over as understudy.

 _The show must go on,_ Emma concluded. And so must her life, she guessed.

She was cleared from therapy four weeks into her bi-weekly sessions, much to her great relief. One more thing off her now less-than-overflowing plate. Less-than-overflowing, that's how she liked it now. Lots of time for dance, and Ruby, and _of course_ , Regina, when she could get away from the studio, that was.

They'd come out with their relationship to Ruby, first, _naturally_. Then Neal. That was within the first two weeks, with total disregard to the fact that Regina was _supposed_ to be saving face with the company and pretending to still be engaged to Daniel. Neal already knew that was a sham, anyway, and Ruby vowed her eternal secrecy. Emma trusted her, so Regina guessed she could, too.

Everyone else would have to wait until after _Swan Lake_ had run its course, and Daniel was out of the spotlight, once again. Then it wouldn't matter what Regina did, or with whom.

Lucky for them, tonight was opening night.

Considering Emma's health and the fact that Cora needed Regina's help more and more as the opening night drew near, they had decided to take their relationship slowly. Emma was sure it also had quite a bit to do with nerves, on Regina's part. She had only recently realized and accepted that she was bisexual, and this was all brand new territory to her. To both of them, really, since Emma didn't have a whole lot of experience in the world of relationships, due to her dance schedule.

She also knew the fear of coming out to Cora was looming over Regina's head, and though her own parents had kind of guessed on their own after she'd been discharged, she'd sworn them to secrecy as well, until Regina was ready.

Either way, Emma knew things would be different once they got through the production and Regina had some free time again. And, on opening night, going public with Regina wasn't her biggest concern.

Even though it had been her idea to quit the production, Emma was panged with 'what ifs' tonight. This could have been her big break, and she wondered if she was too hasty throwing it away. What if another opportunity never came along? She tried to remind herself that she was still seventeen, and had her entire life ahead of her, but she didn't know what life was supposed to look like, really, if it didn't end with being a ballerina.

She stared at herself in the mirror, and wished Regina would hurry up and get there.

When Regina finally arrived to pick Emma up, Emma smiled at the sight of her in a tight black dress made of velvety material. It was strapless, and ended just above her knees as well, to Emma's delight and relief. Her relief was due to the fact that she thought she might appear too informal if Regina had chosen a long dress. Her delight was for the obvious reason of seeing a fair bit of Regina's toned legs, accentuated by her tall black pumps.

Her hair was in a loose, low updo, with little wispy pieces framing her face, that just made it impossible for Emma _not_ to kiss her, the moment she stepped in the doorway. Even kissing was relatively new to her, and the less often she saw Regina, the more she wanted to kiss her the moment she did see her. Tonight was no exception.

"Ready to go, Ingénue?" Regina teased, once she broke away from the kiss.

Emma rolled her eyes. "Ugh. Don't you start that now."

"Start what?"

" _Ingénue._ Don't call me that."

"Why? It's a term of endearment."

"No, it means I suck," Emma said, rolling her eyes even _harder_ , if that was possible.

"It absolutely does not. It means you're ingenuous - sweet and innocent - my little Ingénue."

In spite of herself, Emma smiled. "Okay, _maybe_ it's kind of nice, but only when you say it like that."

" _Kind of_ nice, that's just who I am," Regina said with a wink, before giving Emma another quick peck on the lips. "So, are you ready?"

Emma let out a long sigh. "Ready as I'll ever be, I guess. Somehow, I don't think it would be terribly prudent of me to arrive fashionably late, all things considered."

"Terribly prudent? Ruby's right, I am rubbing off on you."

Emma raised an eyebrow. "You and Ruby gossip about me often?"

"Only when you _are_ running late, and we're both waiting for you. You're the only thing we really have in common, you know."

Emma smiled. She knew it was true, and she appreciated that they put up with each other, for her sake.

"Okay, well let's get this over with," Emma said, leading the way out the door to Regina's car.

The ride to the theatre was oddly silent for them, as Emma stared out the window, wishing they were driving literally _anywhere_ but here.

"Ugh," Emma groaned, as they pulled up to the valet parking in front of the theatre. There were reporters everywhere, and she had to cringe knowing that her mother had secured all of this press in advance, thinking that they would be here for _her_ and not Lily.

"You wanna go in the back way?" Emma suggested,looking at Regina as she put the car in park.

"No. Why would I?"

"Because… they have cameras... we're going to be exposed," Emma said, motioning with her eyes to a reporter who was already making his way over, no doubt recognizing the vehicle as belonging to the daughter of the great Cora Mills, and expecting Regina to be here supporting in her 'fiance'.

Regina shrugged. "I was planning on telling my mother after tonight, anyway. She won't see any of the press until after the show and… well, to be completely honest, I'm tired of hiding. This is who I am, and she can take it or leave it."

"Wow," Emma said, raising an eyebrow in surprise. "Looks like I might be rubbing off on you a little."

"Maybe just a little," Regina conceded, with a wink, just as the valet opened her door.

Emma sighed as her own door was open, and she was immediately met by blinding camera flashes, as the reporters flocked to the door realizing who was inside. She could hear a chorus of people asking things about why she came tonight, and would it be hard to watch Lily dance her role, but she just plastered on a smile and pushed her way through until she met up with Regina again.

"Shall we?" Regina said, with a grin, as she took Emma's hand and interlaced their fingers, amongst a chorus of surprised gasps and more camera flashes. Emma grinned and nodded, and they headed inside.

They found their seats quickly and quietly, as they attempting to avoid running into either of their mothers before the show. Just as Emma sat down, she heard her phone go off, and pulled it out, looking at the screen, disappointed.

"What is it?" Regina asked.

"Ruby. She just texted me. Her replacement never showed and she can't leave the diner. She's gonna miss opening night."

"I'm sure she's heartbroken," Regina commented, shaking her head.

"Stop that. You two are friends now, remember?" Emma reminded her, as she put her phone away.

"Right. Of course. Maybe we can go see her at the diner after, then?" Regina suggested. She really was trying to be friends with Ruby, for Emma's sake. It worked. Most of the time.

"Yes. Yes, let's do that," Emma nodded. "I'm craving onion rings."

Emma tried to maintain her forced smile as more and more people crowded into the theatre, taking their seats all around her, but with the acoustics in the room, it wasn't hard to hear what everyone around her was talking about, and the vast majority of the conversation was centered around herself and Regina.

Emma bit the insides of her cheeks as she listened to a particularly boisterous woman three rows ahead commenting on how 'brave' it was that Emma Swan had shown up tonight, even after her nervous breakdown and stay in the psychiatric ward.

"Where do they come up with this shit?" Emma asked aloud, shaking her head, truly bewildered at the way rumours flew.

Regina turned to her, studying the extremely uncomfortable look on her face. "We don't have to stay, you know."

"What? Of course we do. It will look bad on both of our mothers if we leave."

Regina shrugged. "Who will even notice? We made an appearance, there are plenty of photographs to prove it. What are the chances we will see either of our mothers before the show ends? We'll skip out and go back for the after party."

Emma turned to look at Regina. "You're serious?"

"Am I ever not serious?"

"Can we get onion rings?"

Regina smiled. "Whatever you want."

And with that, they were gone again. Regina was right: no one seemed to notice their departure. They headed through a back exit and picked Regina's car back up from a valet who really didn't seem to care what they did, so long as he got his tip.

"Uh, you guys let lost on the way to _Swan Lake_?" Ruby asked, smirking at Emma and Regina as they walked into the dinner in their dresses.

"It just wasn't gonna be the same without you, Rubes," Emma said with a shrug. "I'll take onion rings over pretentious Ballet-goers who gossip too much any day anyway."

"Are you going to pay for this time?" Ruby didn't wait for an answer as she went back to put the onion rings in the deep fryer.

"How much of a tab have you run up here," asked Regina, looking mildly concerned as they sat down in a booth.

Emma shrugged. "I'll have it paid off by the time I'm sixty, I'm sure."

"Don't let those women at the theatre get to you too much, okay?"

Emma smiled. "I already forgot about them. Looking at you has that effect on me."

Regina blushed, which made Emma smile more, thinking of all the time she'd gotten flustered and blushed in front of Regina. Sometimes, this still felt like a surreal dream to her.

"So, what now?"

"Hmm?" Regina asked, confused. "I told you, we'll eat and then go back for the after party."

"No, I meant… now that _Swan Lake_ is over, or at least will be very soon. What now? You don't just want to stay and work for your mother once everyone knows about you and Daniel, do you?"

Regina frowned. "You know, I haven't really had a chance to think about it. I've been so wrapped up in getting to the end of this production, I didn't really consider life after the production. Daniel and I were supposed to get married this summer, you know?"

"Yeah, I know."

Regina nodded. "I'm not sad over it, just so you know. I'm over him and I'm over the engagement and I'm so happy to be with you, but… I don't know what I want to do with my life now, otherwise. I was supposed to get married but I didn't have any other plans. I never really have."

"We've both just been living the lives our mothers mapped out for us."

"You were brave enough to tell your mother what you want."

"You can be brave, too, Regina. You know I'm here to support you."

"I know, but… how can I tell her what I want if I don't even know what I want?"

They fell silent as Ruby brought their food over, and to Emma's surprise, it was Regina who grabbed an onion ring first and started chewing on it absently. She'd never witnessed that before in her life, and she opted not to comment since she wasn't even sure if Regina was aware she was doing it.

After several more long minutes of silence, Emma finally decided she needed to say _something_. "Hey, don't worry about it, okay? You don't have to decide everything right now. You don't have to decide anything right now, alright? Neither of us do. Maybe we can just take some time to, I don't know, spend some time together and, like, be a couple?"

Regina looked up and smiled. "Yeah. I like that. Let's do that."

Emma smiled back and reached for Regina's hand across the table. "Whoever would have thought it would be me and you against the world one day, huh?"

Regina gave Emma's hand a small squeeze. "Must be fate."

* * *

**To be continued….**

**I know it took, like, well over a year to update this fic, after I said it would be done soon. But, originally this was going to be the last chapter and I decided instead to extend the story, because this doesn't feel like the ending… anyway, there will be at least 7 chapters after this… I outlined 7 but it all depends on how each chapter goes, I might have to break some of them in to two, we'll see!**


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